LGP Dinner Theatre evenings

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Hallmark February 1955 ' LGP Dinner Theatre. 'A Fete Worse than Death'

The title was on the programme, it would not be mine. We expect a good evening from any L.G.P. entertainment and we were not disappointed. Last year's Supper Theatre was on one evening only and crowded to capacity; this year we had two evenings and it was still a "sell-out". With a different arrangement of tables and the main courses served from a buffet, we were asked table by table to go up and make our selection, with the younger L.G.P. members only serving the first course and collecting the plates etc. This worked very well as far as I could see taking tables in order and reversing that for the next course was a fair and sensible way of ensuring that people did not have to wait too long either at table or at the buffet. The bar was available well before the first course of dips and crudités, after which we had the first part of the entertainment: “The Lily the Pink Singers" - a short play set in L.G. Village Hall one wet evening, based on "The Spring Song Singers” by Richard Tydeman. I could not see who had written the descriptions of the actors/characters in the programme but they were very funny and worth reading. Peter Brookhouse directed the play, which made an amusing opening to the entertainment. Relating it to our village hall and thinking, perhaps, of the local choir added to the situation and if the characters were an exaggeration on real life, we could probably fit them, Loosley, to people we know certainly they seemed to suit ‘the players. That really means they entered into their parts completely. Without singling out each actor, I must say that I enjoyed Helen Titchen as the accompanist and feel she will be missed when she leaves the village shortly, temporarily we hope.

After enjoying my choice from the buffet selection of Hot Tuna and Prawn bake, Coronation Chicken, savoury flans and ham, with salad and jacket potatoes, it was relaxing to listen to "Glad to be Grey", a musical interlude of madrigals and arrangements of what was termed “rustic music" for four voices. These were very well performed, indicating much skill and rehearsal and | think the applause spoke for the enjoyment the music gave.

"Gosforth's Féte" by Alan Ayckbourn, was the final offering when we had eaten our delicious sweets. It had a small cast: Ann-Noel Clark was Milly Carter, an earnest, not so young school teacher in charge of teas, engaged to Stuart Stokes (Ray Gosling), a stolid, convential scout/cub leader, with his baggy shorts and old-fashioned scout hat set squarely on his head. Chris Tyrer was the "caricature" Vicar we all enjoy seeing in farces - "over the top" but playing the part with gusto, misquoting the bible and rushing round, although not exactly helping the situation. Rob Lenko was Gordon Gosforth, féte organiser, debonair village Lothario, not turning out as efficient as he would like to be but trying to prevent the disaster which threatened as so much started to go wrong. Then there was Emma Pearce, the local councillor, played by Madeleine Tate, coming to open the féte and making lame excuses for her absent husband. There would not be a play if everything went swimmingly and it didn't. The cubs would climb up the scaffolding not strong enough to take them, the sound equipment unaccountably did not work, the thunderstorm eventually broke. Naturally, when the sound equipment did begin to work, it was not noticed by our charming organiser and his most intimate conversation with Milly Carter was broadcast over the field, so that her fiancé rushed in to reproach her, then took to drinking the prize sherry to drown his sorrow, making him rather belligerent. The Vicar rushed into remonstrate, then tried to help pour tea from the urn, found he could not turn off the tap and finished up frantically holding cups under and emptying them back into the urn, while all sorts of other things were going on. Emma Pearce, with exquisite expressions, had been very patronising and condescending when she first arrived but after being encouraged to walk round the field before officially opening the fete and being caught in the thunderstorm, she turned up during the chaos covered in mud and with her fancy hat all askew. It only needed the scaffolding down the other end of the field to collapse and the electric equipment to explode, with a bang and much smoke, to complete the disaster.

It was so perfectly timed and so realistically awful but exceedingly funny and | know that took not only very good directing and acting but also wonderful behind-the-scenes organisation and sound and lighting effects. The play could not be faulted in that, it was really excellent and I have not laughed so much for a long time.

Congratulations to the director, Brian Panter, and to all the cast and backstage workers, particularly Mike and Chris.

Rachel Panter organised the meal and some of her assistants were with her in the first play, a very good effort in both undertakings.

Hallmark February 1996. LGP Dinner Theatre. 'The Gut Girls' Reporter Sarah Daniels

Although there were almost equal numbers of adult and younger members of LGP in this play, the action was really about young people doing unpleasant work and with their reactions with their superiors in the conditions and prejudices of the time – the turn of the century. Within the confines of what is possible in a simple production like this, with 11 different locations in Deptford London, to be represented and the limitations of time, it is a very busy play which needs concentration to keep up with the story. However, the cast coped with the problem in an admirable way and the feeling of the time, the work and its problems came over. The language was startling at first, despite the warning but, of course, it was as if would have been. Once that and the characters were accepted, rather than our nice young people, one realises it is telling the story as it was. I have read stories of the hard lives of people in such circumstances and although there is a portrayal of their camaraderie, their accents and dialects in some cases, there is not usually the true vulgarity and honestness which would have been there in real life. One might imagine such language was not used, rudeness of a sort, yes, but not the frank vulgarity we heard here.

There is comedy and sadness in the story, as would be expected. Girls doing an unpleasant job which not many other desperate people would take on, have to look out for each other. Few other people would be interested in them, they were looked upon with disdain even by their peers. Even so, they are not secure and with the background they have, there is only one step lower if they lose their jobs, which they do, and they just have to accept the help of the condescending but kind Lady Helena who is prepared to train and place them as servants. Those who cannot or will not re-train have a poor outlook, while the girl who had ideas of forming a trade union had no chance of succeeding. You could say there was a reasonable resolution of the problem but it leaves food for thought beyond the entertainment value, which was certainly there.

We are used to good performances from adults and younger people in LGP but new faces among the young actors gave excellent performances which might have surprised, knowing that they had perhaps not had the experience some regular members had, but that means they have talent and that the direction was very good. For young people to speak some of the lines in front of their contemporaries not only took nerve but real maturity because they did it so naturally. I feel I either have to mention everyone or no one and in a talented cast acting so well there were so few weaknesses I would rather congratulate all actors, director and all the background people.

One thing I do have to mention; the "pig" which was carried in for “gutting” was made by Brian Panter – a work of art, and carried in by Aiden Piercy as if it was the true weight of a pig carcass (complete, remember). Rachel Panter catered for refreshments, delicious of course, with her able helpers.