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THE
ARGOSY PLAYERS - LIVERPOOL |
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Staged:
11-13 December 1952 at Crane theatre Hanover Street Liverpool The Argosy Players launch an ambitious production of “Dear Octopus”
as their Winter 1952 offering, at the Crane Theatre, Liverpool. This venue will become synonymous both with the Players, and with Martins
Bank Operatic Society, who between them stage at least two performances there
each year. Their reputation commands
sizeable and appreciative audiences, with dramas staged usually over a run of
two or three nights, and operatic productions being produced for between
three and six nights. The play “Dear Octopus” is written by Dodie Smith, who
is perhaps most famous for her classic “One Hundred and One Dalmations”. How
do the Argosy Players hold up to scrutiny, in what is described as “an
exceptionally difficult play for amateurs”? The following write up from the
Spring 1953 issue of Martins Bank Magazine not only sets the scene, it is
also a brutally honest critique! If there are holes to be picked, we can rely
on the staff magazine not only to gush with praise both faint and sincere,
but also to mention shortcomings and provide constructive criticism on
everything from actors forgetting their lines, to the quality of the stage
set, costumes, make-up, even the skills of the producer and director.
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Another newcomer who played the part
of the third grandchild was Dawn Rimmer: she made a very promising debut. The
parts of the father and mother of two of the grandchildren were played by
Kenneth Johnson and Ann Smellie. Kenneth was sparkling, good throughout:
Ann's make-up for the part was on the young side and as a consequence her
performance did not seem as convincing as it might have been. The part of the
eldest grandchild was played by Brian Isaacson, with Jean Boothman as his
wife. Brian was somewhat wooden: Jean's performance improves with each fresh
part she takes and she is rapidly moving to the front rank of the
company. Of the remaining ladies the
performances of Nora Owen, Hilary Parr and Maud Melville were outstanding. |
Left
to right: Brian Isaacson, Ann Smellie, Howell Jones, Nora Owen, Dawn Rimmer,
Kathleen Horsburgh, Hilary
Parr, Jean Boothman, Ken Johnson, Ken Batten, Maud Melville, Adeline Smith
and Thea Bower.
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On the night we attended Maud was the one member of
the company to secure a spontaneous outburst of applause at the end of one of
her pieces. Nora can conjure up drama, mystery, tragedy or whatever else the
action calls for by her very movements and she is a first-rate amateur.
Hilary starts off with the natural advantages of a sweet and appealing
personality and she has learned how to use them on the stage to the advantage
of whatever part she is given. Full marks also to Jeanne Harlow for her very
refreshing presentation of the part of the bustling parlour maid and to Nessa
Paisley as the unobtrusive but efficient children's nurse. We have left till
the last our comments on the remaining three characters. We felt that Thea Bower was miscast as the
mischief-making member of the family. The character was so far removed from
Thea's own personality that we felt it was beyond her, though she got quite a
lot out of the part. Similarly, we felt that it was asking too much of
Kathleen Horsburgh to transform her quiet and retiring personality into a
70-odd year old Titian-haired representation of an old lady who has been a
bit of a gay bird in her day and still knows how to make the men turn round
when she enters a room. This is not to say that the performance was not good,
rather that it was steady without being brilliant. And lastly we come to Adeline Smith, as
Octopus herself. She certainly put up the best performance she has ever given
us and everyone who saw the show was loud in her praises. To this spate of
congratulation we would most sincerely like to add our quota. We do not think
there is anyone in the Argosy Players who could have done it better, except
Maud Melville, but, at the same time, we feel that the part needed someone
more dominating, more Octopus-like. We had pathos, querulousness, fussing and
many of the other trying qualities associated with old age, but above all we
needed dominance. We did not see the charming old lady who made every single
member of the large household jump to do her bidding without pausing to
question the reason why. This representation, the true representation, was
not, could not be vouchsafed to us. The production was by Norman H. Hubbard. We very
much regret that the conditions prevailing at the time when our photographer
was in attendance rendered it impossible for him to carry out his assignment,
and it was only possible for one photograph to be taken and this was a
made-up scene and not in proper dress at that. When one recalls the beauty of
the dinner table scene in the last act, when, incidentally, Howell Jones
reached the peak of his performance, it is not a little frustrating that it
was not recorded. It is mainly in the photographs that the interest of our
colleagues in other parts of the country is sustained in a local production
and, inconvenient though such interruptions are at a dress rehearsal, we hope
that producers, in future, will arrange for proper facilities to be provided
for us to do our work. |
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The
Argosy Players chose Dodie Smith's “Dear Octopus” for their Winter production
at Crane Theatre, December 11th, 12th and 13th. It is an exceptionally
difficult play for amateurs, because the action runs smoothly and evenly,
with no tense drama and no real crises
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