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John Godber : Comedy 4M 3F Interior set Everyone has a different story to tell - or forget, in some cases
- about the annual office party. John Godber's play pays a visit
to the offices of Chapman & Howard, a small marketing firm, just
in time for the annual bash when the traditional bonhomie quickly
gives way to titillations and tears. From the opening moments, when
the first eager few have arrived to kick off the celebrations of
clinching a prestigious and lucrative account, we see the growing
sense of both professional and personal frustrations among the copywriters,
accountants, graphic artists, secretaries and the managing director
himself as everyone tries to get into the party spirit, all the time
misreading body language and other signals, culminating in a party
night they'd all rather forget. Just who will show their face tomorrow
- and more importantly, who won't - or will they simply let the photocopier's
record of the evening speak for itself? The Office Party offers
a hilariously funny yet poignant exploration of just exactly why
people behave as they so often do when faced with self-consciousness
- and over-confidence - in such circumstances. Office Suite Green Forms John Chapman, adapted from Blandings Castle and other Lord
Emsworth stories by P.G. Wodehouse A hilarious comedy based on one of P. G. Wodehouse's most famous characters, Lord Emsworth, the dreamy peer of Blandings Castle. The delightful earl, as vague as ever, wants nothing more than to be allowed to potter around Blandings, tending his roses and prize pig, the Empress. But his sister, Lady Constance, has other ideas and arranges a house party into which bursts Dame Daphne Winkworth, whom the Earl is urged, much against his will, to marry. He is further plagued by his vacuous son Freddie Threepwood, Rupert Bingham, a clumsy love-lorn curate and his arch enemy Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe from whom Lord Emsworth unwittingly steals a priceless Egyptian scarab. Comedy. Reginald Denham from Cosas de papa y mama by Alfonso
Paso. Eleanor (a widow) and Silas (a widower) are both, if you take their
word for it, near death's door. Louisa (Eleanor's daughter) and James
(Silas' son), having tired of their parents' perpetual grumbling
and moaning accompany them to see Dr. Bolt - the idea being to get
a first-hand report on just what is wrong with their elders. All
four meet for the first time in the Doctor's waiting room, and immediately
strike up friendships. In fact Eleanor and Silas are smitten with
a romantic passion of the sort usually experienced only by the young.
This happens to be exactly what the Doctor ordered - although their
children are shocked by such carrying on. Nevertheless love has its
way, and in short order Silas is pacing the living room of his apartment
in anticipation of a visit from Eleanor. When she arrives the champagne
is uncorked, and soon our "out-patients" are billing and cooing like
two love birds. The bloom of passion is suddenly deflated by the
unexpected appearance of James and Louisa, who manage to make the
whole thing seen tawdry and ridiculous, and who decree that their
parents are not to see any more of each other. The unrequited lovers
are soon as filled with aches and pains as ever, but a trumped-up
story of a clandestine meeting and the imminent arrival of a wee
one brings the spoil-sport children back in line. Ephraim Kishon, translated by Lucienne Hill : 30 years after Romeo and Juliet fail to commit suicide, we find them squabbling together in this ingenious farce with music. Original score available on request from the rights holders. 'The early romantic situation has now developed, or descended, to the usual married life of any ordinary mortals with disagreements, rows and a problem daughter. In the middle of one of these rows, Will Shakespeare, their creator, arrives on the scene. He is not a ghost, apparently, and often pays them a visit. They are well aware of who he is and blame the deterioration of their relationship on him for not having given them a happier ending. He tries to appease them in an inferior blank verse and quotations from other plays, some of which impress them. The use of well-known quotes and characters make for amusing theatre and not even the most ardent Shakespeare scholar could object to the manner of their use.' Plays of 1984/5. |