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  The
Argosy Players in: So Bright a Star by Bill Brookes (Staff)
Staged: 28 May 1952 in the Basement Theatre Head Office Water
Street Liverpool
For the second time in just over a year, the Argosy Players
are back in front of their most critical audience – their friends and
colleagues – in the basement theatre at the Bank head Office. This time, in a joint evening of song and
drama, the Music Section of Martins Bank’s society of the Arts, and the
Argosy Players stage a selection of all things operatic and dramatic. “So
Bright a Star” is another new offering penned by Argosy’s very own William
(Bill) Brookes. Bill’s experience of acting and singing, and his talent for
drawing witty cartoons and illustrations can be relied upon to produce fresh
material for the Argosy Players, and in “So Bright a Star” he also draws
praise from Martins Bank Magazine for his skilful portrayal of a news-hungry
reporter. As we shall see in later
reviews, particularly those from the early to mid-1960s, television becomes
an increasingly dangerous competitor to the theatre and opera. It is
interesting to note that even in 1952 when there is still only one channel in
the United Kindgom, the relatively new medium of television – along with its
partner in crime radio - is mentioned below by Martins Bank Magazine as a
potential threat to the idea of people getting together to provide their own
forms of live entertainment.
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 A very pleasant social evening was held on 28th May, when The Argosy
Players and the Music Section combined to present an entertainment for the
members, in the Basement Theatre at Head Office.
The show, which was wittily compered by
Eric Wylie, commenced with a selection of songs by Muriel Grice, L. C.
Jones, Eugenie Koop and Evan Jones. There was also a duet by Eugenie Koop
and Evan Jones and three pianoforte solos by Reg. C. Webster who also acted
as accompanist to the various singers.
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Left to right: Ann Smellie, Howell Jones,
Colin Skelton, Bill Brookes,
Maureen Dempster, Barbara Phillips and L.
C. Jones.
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This part of the programme had had to
be rearranged at short notice owing to the sudden illness of Brenda
Stephens and Betty Spencer Hayes. It was quite a refreshing change in these
days of radio and television to be reminded that it is still possible to
provide our own amusements and in such talented and acceptable form, too:
everyone thoroughly enjoyed the friendliness and informality of the
gathering. After an interval for refreshments the members reassembled to
witness the first presentation on any stage of Bill Brookes’s new one-act
play “ So Bright a Star.” Half the fun of this riotous farce consisted in
seeing our normally “ proper ” and respected colleagues appear as members
or associates of an extremely plebeian working-class family. Howell Jones as
the brow-beaten, beer-loving father was first-rate and Barbara Phillips as
the nagging wife, well, we never knew she had it in her! If Maureen
Dempster really let her hair down in everyday life as she did in the part
of the wife’s friend she would indeed be formidable, while L. C. Jones as
the extremely scruffy alcoholic friend of the beer-loving father would have
created quite a sensation in Mossley Hill. Bill Brookes struck a new line
of character portrayal as the reporter from the local rag. He contrived to
make this incredible portrayal sound feasible, which is a tribute to his
acting. The somewhat nondescript daughter was well portrayed by Ann Smellie
and Colin Skelton took the part of her suitor. The infection of the
reaction of the audience affected the players from time to time, and Colin,
in particular, betrayed this. The play, from a constructional point of
view, ended rather abruptly even for a one-act, but the explanation of this
is that the author really intends it to be the first act of a three-act
play and to make it into a good one-act it really required something at the
end to stop the audience from wondering whether there was any more to
follow. The dialogue was excellent and though verging on slapstick it
appealed to all sections of the audience, and not least to the various
members of the General Management and their wives whom we were very pleased
to see present.
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 M
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