Northern Exposure

It seems that am-dram in the Borders has gone all

and

 

Don't get me wrong, here at Flyte-Tipping we are BIG fans of  trembly dogs and unleavened head gear, but we are surprised that two similar plays have stumbled in front of our headlights at the same time.

We have a choice.  Do we swerve wildly and continue on our way with nary a glance in the rear-view, or do we slam on brakes, steer into the skid, then summon the courage to get out and examine the

 

 road kill?

Stomach of bloody cast iron, us!  Of COURSE we get out!  We would be failing in our duty to bring you the very best of the very worst of Border-based amateur dramatics if we drove off.  Besides, we may have only clipped them, they could be lying perfectly intact with nothing worse than a few superficial cuts and bruises.  And if there proves to be no sign of life, well, we can roll them into a ditch, cover them in brushwood and say no more about it.

First up, then.

Bill Naughton's northern comedy-drama 'Spring & Port Wine', performed by a new group, Pocket Productions, directed by a magnificently pregnant Lizzie Bell at The Maltings last Wednesday to Saturday.  Set in the late 1960s, a time of explosive social change, blah-blah, the play was a wonderful observation of the differing aspirations and expectations of parents and their children.

On the whole, it was a faultless production, with imaginative three-quarter staging drawing the audience into closer involvement.  While ALL the performers were excellent (not one 'ee-bah-gum', can you credit it?), the Flyte-Tipping Award for Realism in Theatre (F.A.R.T.)  must go to Hugo Hughes, veteran treader-of-boards and a joy to watch.  A good first-turn was delivered by A-level student, Miss (sorry, I lost my programme so it may or may not be her name) Gudgeon, as Hilda, with slight projection problems being our only quibble.  Had she been acting on the stage proper, rather than the considerably smaller Henry Travers Studio, she may have struggled to be heard.   One to watch, though.

The lovely Miles was on hand as usherette and genial host and it became clear, talking to cast members post-performance, that he had offered invaluable directorial advice to first-timer Liz.

The end of this man's talents is still far from view.  We LOVE you, Miles!

All in all, an impressive debut from Pocket Productions.

Moving on, then...

Come January 2010 we can all look forward to a production of 'Celebration' by the late Keith Waterhouse and his long-time collaborator, Willis Hall, by the newly regrouped Duns Players.  This will be their third production and will be directed by Barry Jones, another of the old thesps that seem to litter the countryside in these parts like bog roll in the hedgerows.

Whether this production of another northern comedy-drama set in the 1960s is as successful as 'Spring & Port Wine' is less a done deal.  For a start, the proposed venue of the cavernous Duns Volunteer Hall creates real staging difficulties and, it has to be said, the calibre of acting talent amongst the Duns Players — ahem — varies widely.

So right from the start pulse is thready and sats low.

Still where there's life, there are fingers crossed, so Flyte-Tipping will hold-off from digging a

'til January...