Martins Bank Players (North Eastern) - 1951 Pink String and Sealing Wax

MARTINS BANK PLAYERS (NORTH EASTERN)

Martins Bank Players (North-Eastern) in Pink String and Sealing Wax by Roland Pertwee

Staged: 16 to 20 October 1951 at the Little Theatre Gateshead

“She looked too nice for the part, and was not nearly hard-bitten enough for a scheming murderess”. As if to prove that Martins Bank Magazine does not attend productions of the Bank’s Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Societies simply to pile on the sugar, this comment on the acting ability of one of the North Eastern Players shows that a healthy and balanced critique is freely given! This is post War Britain, still struggling to recover, hard working and keen to entertain and BE entertained. Thus, those who work a forty-five-hour week in Martins Bank’s branches across the North East are faced with the annual challenge of “putting on a show” – and a show that is good enough to be staged over five nights AND in front of a paying audience! No pressure there then, as we would say in the twenty-first century. Pink String and Sealing Wax is written by Roland Pertwee – father of Jon Pertwee – Doctor Who star, and star of the long running BBC Radio comedy success, “The Navy Lark”. This is a popular play, and it is chosen by another of the Bank’s drama groups – the Cicala Players – in 1955. As for our North Eastern Players, well they are certainly “at home” on the stage of the Little Theatre Gateshead, which has been the base for most of their productions since the 1930s. The production photographs do show their age slightly, but are still remarkably clear given that more than six decades have passed since they were taken...

For their autumn production the Society chose “Pink String and Sealing Wax” a three act play by Roland Pertwee, production taking place at the Little Theatre, Gateshead, from October 16th to 20th inclusive. The committee of the Society showed both courage and foresight in “resting” a number of their established principals in order to give some of the newcomers a chance: courage— because one cannot expect at first that quite the same high standard will be achieved as with more experienced actors: foresight—because the only way to maintain a healthy Society is to encourage the younger ones to become proficient.

Left to right: Ken Young, Stephen Futers, Doris Heron, Margaret Crump, Charles Knight and Margaret Duncan

We visited the show on the second night because we thought that it would have got into its stride by then and the first-night production difficulties would have been smoothed out. It so happened, from what we were told, that the first night's performance was better than the second. However, to particularise, on the night of our visit the first act was rather long in warming up and we did not feel that it really got going until the arrival of Stephen Futers and Charles Knight, who took the parts of Doctor and Ernest O'Shea. We thought their performances were quite the best of the show. The man on whom much of the success of the play depended was Ken Young as Edward Strachan, the Victorian father. He was excellently cast for the part, but his performance needed speeding up and tended to be weighty and lacking in fire when it should have been slick and somewhat overpowering.

Margaret Crump

Charles Knight and Pat Wallace

Joan Barney and Alan Sharpley

Doris Heron, as the mother, gave a good interpretation of the somewhat incompetent and submissive opposite number of her dominating husband. Of the children, Margaret Crump as little Eva got the most laughs and put over her various situations with snap and sparkle. Margaret Duncan and Pat Wallace as Jessie, the would-be actress, and Emily, the aspiring opera singer, made a very good show and their performances gave great promise for the future. Alan Sharpley as Albert was a trifle immature to be caught in the toils of a woman of easy virtue but made a very good attempt at putting the part over convincingly. Joan Barney as the woman referred to, suffered somewhat from the same handicap. She looked too nice for the part, and was not nearly hard-bitten enough for a scheming murderess. The two gave the impression more of being a couple of erring children than clandestine lovers. But, all things considered, it was a good show, well supported, and Nora Wilkie, the producer, is to be congratulated on the results of her efforts, and her husband, Bob Wilkie, on his usual efficient stage management.