WHEN WE
ARE MARRIED
Directed by Eddie Baldwin
NODA Review
This superbly written play, which has everything a comedy
should have, the scenes all build up to a climax, the
characters have wonderful exit lines, and it has a
beginning, a middle and an end. You guessed: yes it is one
of my favourite plays. It has to be one of the best that
Priestley wrote and is always evergreen.
The three unfortunate couples, Mr and Mrs Soppitt played
well by Andrew Kidd and Wyn Tootell executed the
transformation extremely well when the mouse becomes a man,
Wyn showing all her experience with expert timing. Mr and
Mrs Albert Parker played by Brian Clarke and Margaret
Rossall whose accents were spot on; he the bombastic bore
and she the timid soft-spoken wife, neither put a foot
wrong. Finally, Mr and Mrs Alderman Helliwell, the couple
at the centre of the trio, and Renee Clitheroe was that
obviously the better off by her manner but I felt that
Edward Baldwin's performance needed more, needed to be
bigger obviously in control so that when Lotty (Brenda
Bartlett) arrives on the scene he has somewhere to go with
the character.
I feel that any director who plays a leading part in the
play as well as directing, loses out, either in the
direction or in his or her own performance, we are only
human. And in this case it was in his part, but having said
that he was there except for that little extra which I am
sure he would have made any other member of cast do.
The set and costumes were worthy of note and we also had
some nice cameo parts. Gerald and Nancy were played well by
Steven Catterall and Katie Griffiths, as were the gentlemen
of the press Fred Dyson played by Ken Moss and Ben Mayo who
played the inebriated Henry Ormonroyd, although he came
across alright I felt more humour could have come from this
character.
David Medows played the Rev. Mercer, and we had a wonderful
Mrs Northrop in the form of Eleanor Nicholson but for me
the performance of the evening was that of Cassandra Moon,
her Ruby Birtle was a sheer delight and the applause she
received on each of her exits was no more than she
deserved.
Well done, thank you for your hospitality and I look
forward to your next season. My congratulations to you all.
