In the 1980’s, long before 2012’s The Play That Goes Wrong, David McGillivray (Horror screenwriter behind The House Of Whipcord) and Walter Zerlin Jnr, penned ten comedic plays centred on am dram theatre troop ‘The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society, who stage ambitious productions despite lacking a shred of talent between them. The plays, covering many genres, including murder mysteries and in this case, Shakespeare, prove to be utter train wrecks, much to the amusement of the real audience watching the genuinely talented casts portraying the hapless fools struggling against the odds and their clashing egos to present their masterpieces.
It’s a fun night out and very well written. Unlike the other Farndale productions this one has an additional problem in that the play’s witches are real ones, secretly replacing the original actresses and intent on sabotaging the work as it progresses, though it is impossible to see where their curses take over from the theatre group’s natural incompetence anyway.
Some great ideas, with Lady Macbeth actress indisposed, a male stage hand is pressed into the role and clearly as indignant about it as he is clueless, at one point citing well known ‘winter of our discontent’ lines from Richard 3rd instead of those he should be sharing.
If there is a flaw it is that the five (as opposed to the usual three) ‘real’ witches infiltrating the show don’t then do anything magical or commit any kind of sabotage – they just get absorbed into the chaos Farndale Avenue’s group cause without supernatural interference. Their cackling was fabulous though.
Everything is done on the cheap. Stage hands assemble gets back to front. A big lavish drinking banquet where they are supposed to quaff wine sees the large ensemble cast drinking cans of iron brew. Banco’s ghost doesn’t glide round on wires but gets pushed round in a shopping trolley. It is clear everyone is having huge fun staging this and at times struggling to keep straight faces. It gets quite infectious and leaves no doubt that the actual performing cast are all genuinely talented.
A fun night out at a great venue.
Photos taken by me.
Arthur Chappell
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