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Thame Players |
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The Hostage. By Brendan Behan. Directed
by Bernadette Tildesley "The
Hostage" by Brendan Behan is one of the two plays by Brendan Behan ( the
other being "The Quare Fellow") for which he is famed. Set in working
class Dublin in the early 50`s and strongly associated with the activities of
the I.R.A. it would seem to present a big challenge to a "middle england"
amateur theatre company. Thame rose to that challenge extremely well with a
strong enssemble production that did it great credit. It rarely lacked pace,
with all the cast mainaining their accents well, and it captured the
"feel" of that period of passionate, yet somehow amateur, activities
of the I.R.A. at that time with ominus hints of the more violent and
professional period to follow in Northern Ireland. The
simple stage set on two levels was used to good effect, its upper level
entrances on both sides allied to those on both sides at stage level gave scope
for free flowing movement on and off it, and the ability to both fill or empty
the stage without fuss gave the chance to get the fast mood changes the play
called for. With
such a strong cast it is difficult to single out individual performances, but
mention should be made of Brian Holt (making a very welcome return to Thame),
Tony Long, and Matt Blank, all of whom gave strong, convincing performances.
And how good it was to have a live pianist (Penny Wilkes) as part of the
action. The
lighting and sound were of the high standard we have come to expect. Thame must
never forget how lucky it is in this respect. Costumes
and props. were well balanced and looked authentic, although I felt that a
little more blousyness, allied with the odd rip and tear and/or broken high heel
in the clothes of the working-class whores would not have gone amiss. All
in all a very worthwhile and satisfying production. Great credit to the company,
and in particular to Bernadette for a bold choice imaginatively directed.
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The Thame Players Theatre Company Ltd Patrons: Sir Tim Rice, Bruce Alexander Registered Company No. 4389665. Registered Charity No. 1092559 |