Theatrical disaster is a real hit for the Players

2:49pm Thursday 3rd July 2008

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The Clarendon Players brought hilarity to Wootton Bassett's Memorial Hall, in Chase Me Up Farndale Avenue, s'il vous plait, co-directed by Paula Clifford and Jeremy Goode.

It was set in an apartment house in the Champs-Elysees.

The play within a play was staged by the wildly enthusiastic, thoroughly incompetent members of the Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society, to entertain a party of French visitors from their twin town.

Last minute changes of cast, characters with confusingly similar surnames, and a set in which doors were upside down or at the wrong level, resulted in mayhem.

Even the sound and lighting effects were wonderfully disastrous, and the production evoked gales of laughter.

Doreen Hewer, excellent as Mrs Phoebe Reece, the Farndale ladies' indomitable chairperson, who strove valiantly to maintain control, also played Frank and Mary Carratt.

Karen Smith gave a brilliant performance as Felicity Cheshire, whose triple roles were Fifi the maid, Jojo and Constance Barrett.

Her sequences with the Hoover were superb.

Wendy Mitchell was memorable as the temperamental, Thelma Greenwood, who played Brigitte Charot, Jack and Norah Garrett, and was madly jealous over alleged hanky panky in the lighting box.

Farndale's hapless Malcolm was played by Glenn Chapman; Diane Chew was Joyce.

Alec Smith as Gordon Pugh, played George Barrett and Virginia Parrot. Sally Hopkins was Minnie Robinson, a nervous last-minute stand-in for two male roles, Roger Parrot and Jacques Charot - frantic when contracts (actually scripts) were torn up.

An ingeniously designed, double ended programme, added to the fun.

Stella Taylor