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The Argosy Players in: From Five to Five Thirty by Philip Johnson
Staged: 18 November 1955 in the Basement Theatre Head Office
Water Street Liverpool
Performing once more in front of their peers, the Argosy
Players compliment their colleagues from the Music Section of the Society of
the Arts, with another of their one act drama productions. It would seem that
families scheming over the final estates of loved ones is an evergreen topic
for a play, and in “From Five to Five Thirty” by Philip Johnson, the plotting
amongst three sisters over an assumed inheritance is rife. Coupled with the dilemma of whom exactly
will inherit what, there is the question of the poor character who is not yet
dead, and who, having been guilty of “eccentric behaviour” – and in order to
save the embarrassment of her three daughters - must be “put away” in an old
people’s home. Those familiar with the social care crises of the 2010s might
draw startlingly similar comparisons here! Once again, we see an all-female
cast leading a strong and powerful story to its inevitable twist, but we
shall leave the Winter 1955 edition of Martins Bank Magazine to explain that
one…
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 On the
evening of November 18th the Argosy Players and members from the Music
Section of the Society entertained
their fellow members in the Basement Theatre at Head Office. The programme
was divided into two parts. After the interval for refreshments a one-act
play. From Five to Five-Thirty, by Philip Johnson, was presented by the
Argosy Players.
The story concerns the three daughters of an old lady
who decide that her “modern” behaviour is a matter of such grave scandal in
the small-time town in which they live that she must enter an old people's
home. They discover, however, that her extravagance on what they believe to
be the allowance they make her stems from a large unexpected legacy she has
received and their “respectability” ego is somewhat deflated when they
learn that they are not.
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Rose Firmin, Marlis Harvey, Shelagh Boyle, Valerie Barrett
anti Pamela Rooke.
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In fact, her daughters at all but of a much-despised
daily help for whose sake whilst serving a life sentence for murder they
have been brought up by the lady they have believed to be their mother. The
parts of the three highly unpleasant daughters are played by Shelagh Boyle,
as the Vicar's wife: Pamela Rooke. as the games mistress: and Valerie
Barrett as the domesticated one with two adored children. Shelagh Boyle was
outstandingly good in her portrayal of the part and made up for a certain
lack of unpleasantness in the other two. Valerie was supposed to be the
weak, reluctant-to-use-force one. but Valerie’s trouble is to look anything
other than her natural sweet self. Pamela, despite her very realistic black
eye. would have been rather lost without Shelagh as the spearhead of the
attack. Marlis Harvey played the mother quite convincingly though a little
more bitterness would have suited the part better. The daily help was
played by Rose Firmin, a character part which she carried with complete
confidence. Altogether a very pleasant evening's entertainment. The play
was produced by S. Wyn Roberts and the Stage Manager was Hazel Carden.
Among those present we were pleased to see Mr. and Mrs. D. O. Maxwell.
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