Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Silly British humour, stereotypical characters, a hark back to the glorious days of upstairs/downstairs and a powerful punch-line were the ingredients of a theatrical frolic pulled off with some panache by the company.
The performance of See How They Run delivered actually what was said on the packet (or in the programme, in this instance). Philip King’s farce was captured superbly by Manama Theatre Club and directed with distinction by club chairman, Rory Adamson, who conjured up an excellent set too.
The casting of Palmyra Mattner, as Penelope Toop, a former showgirl who became a vicar’s wife, was a masterstroke. She played it with masterful maturity and it is hard to believe the dizzy damsel on stage was actually a teenager currently sitting her AS exams and shortly off for a course at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) in the summer where she’ll no doubt knock out the legendary UK drama college’s tutors.
For stage presence, her performance was matched by Hannah Lynch who was totally convincing and highly amusing as Ida, the maid.
The Second World War tale of mighty mishaps and misunderstandings had Anne Koheji playing the role of a spurned spinster who finds herself floored by a wallop and a bottle load of cooking sherry, a hapless hubby, namely the Rev Lionel Tooop played by Guy Parker, a bungling bishop and uncle portrayed by Mike Franklin, a visiting clergyman convincingly played by Benjamin Perry, a solder wearing a dog collar performed by Rupert Copeman-Hill and a nasty Nazi intruder with Daniel Gott, looking zee part, and getting into the act to escape capture by Sergeant Towers, played with aplomb by Mike Eddison.
There were so many men wearing clergymen outfits we could well have been excused for thinking we were at a Christmas service at St Christopher’s Cathedral. I half expected someone from the audience to ‘Butt’ in at any stage with a cameo performance!
Not a play to take your German neighbours on the compound to (don’t mention the war) but worth staying until the end. In fact a fellow reviewer who left at the interval missed the best bit … British humour always has a punch line.
– Stan Szecowka
