October 28, 2009
Last night's Go Back For Murder was a committed performance by an enthusiastic bunch of players with varying experience. This perhaps showed through in the nature of some interactions between them, but no doubt further performances will breed familiarity and natural spontaneity.
The case revolves around Caroline Crale (Amelia Martyn-Hemphill) and whether she really had, 16 years previously, murdered her husband to prevent him marrying his teenage mistress, Elsa Greer. Amyas Crale (Tom Woodward), the bohemian painter with a history of affairs behind him had taken his latest, and most sophisticated mistress into the family home under the auspices of 'painting' her. Indeed, Woodward brought a credible sense of urgency to his character's overarching determination to finish what he regarded as his best work ever. But all was not well. Elsa Greer (played enchantingly by Chloe Courtney) was equally determined that their love on which she built her very existence be made entirely public; their intentions to marry, and her replacement of Caroline as the woman at Amyas's side.
This play is fun. I really liked the role of the solicitor, well played by Joe Robertson, who blended English reticence with calculated good intentions and performed the pivotal role in the narration.
Other characters brought much colour and guided the plot efficiently between locations and scenes. Sets were created simply with minimal furniture and carefully chosen, if temperamental, props. Actors moved effortless between belligerent snuff boxes and potentially lethal carpets, so top marks for dealing with the unexpected. The overall result was both aesthetically pleasing (loved the pot plant!) and worked to make the stage seem considerably bigger than in other OFS performances.
The casting for a play with such a variety of ages must be very difficult within a student catchment and more visual hints as to the intended age of some players might well help the audience. Having said that, Agnes Meath-Baker came across very convincingly as a young Angela Crale.
A full house on the first night, and I hope many more to come.
The case revolves around Caroline Crale (Amelia Martyn-Hemphill) and whether she really had, 16 years previously, murdered her husband to prevent him marrying his teenage mistress, Elsa Greer. Amyas Crale (Tom Woodward), the bohemian painter with a history of affairs behind him had taken his latest, and most sophisticated mistress into the family home under the auspices of 'painting' her. Indeed, Woodward brought a credible sense of urgency to his character's overarching determination to finish what he regarded as his best work ever. But all was not well. Elsa Greer (played enchantingly by Chloe Courtney) was equally determined that their love on which she built her very existence be made entirely public; their intentions to marry, and her replacement of Caroline as the woman at Amyas's side.
This play is fun. I really liked the role of the solicitor, well played by Joe Robertson, who blended English reticence with calculated good intentions and performed the pivotal role in the narration.
Other characters brought much colour and guided the plot efficiently between locations and scenes. Sets were created simply with minimal furniture and carefully chosen, if temperamental, props. Actors moved effortless between belligerent snuff boxes and potentially lethal carpets, so top marks for dealing with the unexpected. The overall result was both aesthetically pleasing (loved the pot plant!) and worked to make the stage seem considerably bigger than in other OFS performances.
The casting for a play with such a variety of ages must be very difficult within a student catchment and more visual hints as to the intended age of some players might well help the audience. Having said that, Agnes Meath-Baker came across very convincingly as a young Angela Crale.
A full house on the first night, and I hope many more to come.