Thought-provoking comedy proves success can come in unlikely places

IAN Hislop and Nick Newman’s funny fable playfully probes what it means to be an accomplished actor in a successful drama group.

The central character of the play learns that you have to put in the graft and bring the passion in order to shine on stage.

The perspicacious director of A Bunch of Amateurs, Ann Roberts, wants her audience to understand the mighty efforts that underpin the magic of an amateur dramatic production.

In Stratford, the local theatre company is in trouble. Their premises are under threat and they need a miracle.

Beleaguered director Dorothy Nettle (a crisp and resourceful Celia Reinbolt) is struggling against the odds to cast and rehearse her next production, King Lear.

To pull in the crowds, Dorothy has a plan to invite a celebrity to join the troupe. So, along comes Hollywood actor Jefferson Steel (an impressively swaggering Graham Wheal), believing himself about to play a major role in Stratford-on-Avon when he has, in fact, washed up with the amateur Stratford Players in deepest Suffolk.

Jefferson Steel may be faded and jaded but he considers himself a star and wants the leading role, much to the annoyance of another cast member, Nigel Dewbury. Mike Watt is terrific as the poised and pompous luvvie Nigel, seething with indignation that an American without his stage experience should grab the role of Lear.

Grace Tye is outstanding as the glamorous, starstruck Mary Plunkett, who gushes over Jefferson but never remembers what films he has been in. There’s a great comic turn from Jasper Holmes as Dennis Dobbins, caretaker and aspiring actor in the Players. His running joke is how he is going to manage the plucking out of Gloucester’s eyes — his ideas are inventive but fail to meet the mark.

Victoria Dunne is bubbly as Lauren Bell, wife of the show’s sponsor and ready to join the cast. Later in the action, enter lively Rhianna Inman as Jessica, Jefferson’s daughter. What better backdrop for playing out their dysfunctional relationship than the plot of King Lear?

The central joke in the play is the clash of cultures between celebrity Hollywood and sleepy Suffolk, comically manifested in the contrast between what Jefferson demands and what he gets. He wants a posh hotel — he gets Mary’s B&B. He wants a limousine — he gets a mobility scooter.

After many ups and downs, Steel learns from this bunch of amateurs what it means to be a committed actor and the Stratford Players’ production of King Lear enjoys success beyond their wildest dreams.

A Bunch of Amateurs is not only funny, it’s very thought-provoking. The comic action is interspersed with snippets of verse and songs that slow down the pace and add another layer of meaning. I particularly enjoyed the outstanding singing of Conor and Aidan Black.

Well done to the whole cast and production team for a fabulously entertaining show.

Susan Creed