DEAF and HARD OF HEARING  Wednesday 22nd June enjoy Terry Pratchett’s ‘Wyrd Sisters’ with AUSLAN SIGNING by Christy Filipich

It is Mediaeval England. There are several, very different scenes. The flats, which cover the full width of the stage, are built on castors so they can rotate. Some flats are like books with a few pages on each revolve. Owen Davis’s scenery was bright, quirky and superbly built. Between scenes, 4 or 5 stagehands could make the change in seconds; even when the crown room with a dais and two thrones was turned into the witches kitchen, with workbench, two armchairs and a table – 8 seconds! That must be one of the best-organised and speediest crews ever (stage manager David Bain, ASM Belinda Beatty, James Scott, Guy Jackson). The props were unusual and very demanding on the poor Lesley Sutton.
The lighting design (Mike Smale) was complex and well planned, picking out the actors as they moved around the stage. The two follow spots were operated by Emma Dee and Charlie Montgomery. The sound effects (Alice Carroll) were crisp and perfectly cued – a few zany effects brought belly laughs.
The costumes ranged from witch Ogg’s tat, to Lady Felmet’s gown, from the soldiers’ uniforms to the town’s peasants. A great deal of thought had been carefully sewn into every garment. Marjorie DeCaux at her very best.

        To the sound of thunder we meet the three witches, the Wyrd Sisters; they are the highly regarded and tough old bird, Granny Weatherwax (Fi Livings), mother of fifteen Nanny Ogg (Chantelle Pitt), and Magrat Garlick (Alisha Napier), an apprentice witch who believes in the old fashioned methods of magic involving covens and cauldrons. They are discussing the recent murder of King Verence (Rachel Vonk).
        The Wyrd Sisters see a peasant (Verity Lux) fleeing the evil Duke Felmet (Ryan Marano), who has the Lady Macbeth syndrome of constantly cleaning his hands. Now that Felmet has become King, his cruel, mercenary wife, Lady Felmet (Taneal Thompson) demands that the taxes are collected. The peasant has in her breadbasket a baby – the newly born prince, who is rightful heir to the throne. However, a bowman (Thomas Outred) shoots the peasant and the witches rescue the infant, Tomjon. They give him to a childless, loving couple of touring actors, Mr Vitoller (Ryan Marano) and Mrs Vitoller (Kathleen ‘Martha’ Nyland).
        Whilst in their kitchen, the witches are visited by a Demon (Bailey O’Hehir) who warns them of the troubles ahead.
         The witches realise that it will be at least 15 years before the prince will be able to rule, so with advanced magic, they travel forward in time.
Felmet sends the court Fool (Billy Darlington – delightful) to find the performers’ troupe, and Tomjon (Lochland Baynham) who is now a talented actor. The court jester sees Magrat being robbed by a conman (Aryan Menon) saves her and falls in love. Duke Felmet fears Tomjon will take his rightful place as King, so he orders a playwright Hwel (Suzy June Wakeling) to weaken the witches powers by writing a play that mocks them.
        The witches trick their way past the guards (Verity Bruce, Sabrina O’Brien) at the castle gate. The witches meet the ghost of the King who tells them how Felmet stabbed him. Felmet sends out his soldiers to capture the crones, but instead they encounter a set of actors dressed as witches (Rosemary Bruce, Sabrina O’Brien, Martha Nyland, Kira Pearce).
        Felmet’s Sergeant (Kayleigh Lux) catches the real witches, and his soldiers (Kira Pearce, Glenda Napier) throw them into prison.

Will the witches escape? What will happen to the Duke and Lady Felmet? Will Tomjon become King?

The script has numerous amusing links to Shakespeare’s plays, especially ‘Macbeth’.
I think this may be the first major production directed by Harrison MacLennan, who was ably assisted here by Guy Jackson. With a massive cast to handle and some actors as young as 12 yrs. (Bailey O’Hehir – a star in the making?), I was expecting the show to stagger through. However, EVERY member of the cast was superbly rehearsed and totally focused. There were no vacant faces when other actors were talking, and everyone acted with their bodies and faces. Good, solid and natural performances from this young team. The magnificent witches had some hilarious lines, delivered with perfect comedic timing.
The entrances and exits worked smoothly, even when a dozen actors were involved.
This is a complex script, and so was a major undertaking; but the direction is so clear and the performances so confident that children from 8 yrs. and up will enjoy the madness. Great fun.

It is a beautiful day in May 1957 in the Garden of England – Kent. In this countryside lie Pop Larkin’s farm and fruit orchards.
This outstanding set must have been a massive undertaking for producer Jan Oliver and stage manager Tony Perry’s team. It has to the left of the audience, a farmhouse sitting room / kitchen complete with all of the fixtures and fittings of the 50’s era, such as fridge, oven and two old TV sets. This is a truly ‘lived in’ house, and one that has you looking at the props and thinking ‘Granma had one of those’ (props Richard Hadler). On the other side of the ‘dividing wall’ is the farmyard, complete with straw bales, old tyres and patio furniture.
The artistically painted landscape gave real depth to the scene, with a red brick wall and white picket fence finishing off the effect beautifully. The cast along with Debbie Smythe, Nicola Stewart, Freya Gleeson, Jordon Lenihan, Anne Anderson, Seth Oliver and Gerran Turner created the set.
The programme, one of this year’s best (photography Sean Breadsell), inside it has a few countryside recipes and killer cocktails. Other hard working helpers included Suzanne Hadler, Hayley Stopp and Angie Brown.

        The Larkins have just returned home after a family day out. As Ma, ‘the most wonderfully caring, yet strong-minded wife ever’ (Meredith Corr) is warming up the fish and chips for the kids, Pop (Richard Hadler) is preparing one of his potent drinks. Their only son, Montgomery (Damion Brown) is setting the table. The twins, Zinnia (Ruby Oliver) and Petunia (Breannah Rigoli) are arranging the dining chairs. Youngest daughters, Victoria (Lily Stopp) and Primrose are watching the ‘Lone Ranger’ on the ancient TV set.
         The sixth child, who is almost 18, is the attractive and blatantly lustful Marietta (Giordarna Rigoli) has just found a shy, handsome young man wandering around the farmyard. Despite being a tax inspector, Cedric Charlton (Dominic Masterson), Marietta shamelessly moves in for ‘the kill’. When offered food, Cedric succumbs and is dragged into the house.
          Cedric, now nicknamed Charlie, has called at the Larkins’ Farm because, like many of the neighbours, including the senile Brigadier (Ryan Marano) next door – Pop Larkin has not paid any tax for decades. How could he pay? After all the necessities of life he showers onto people, he has no money left. When a second senior tax inspector (Tim Ward) turns up a couple of days later, Pop is still undaunted.
          The sexually frustrated, horsey Miss Pilchester (Lindsey Turner) explains to warm and loving Pop how grateful she is for his help with the gymkhana. As the crowds gather, it is not long before Marietta has some passionate competition for Cedric from farmhand, Pauline (Samantha Stein); but who is the mysterious visitor, Angela Snow (Larissa Ferns) and what is she doing looking around the farm?
          Dancing in the barnyard are neighbours Sir George Bluff-Gore (Peter Boylen) and Lady Rose (Sylvia Guest) who have a title and a sizeable mansion, but why does Pop seems extra keen to have a special word them?

The immaculate costumes (Jan and Bryony Oliver) were ‘perfick’ for the era, from the twins’ pinafores to the well-worn Brigadier’s clothes. There were several costume changes for the Larkins, all rustic but beautifully styled. Further help came from Suzanne Hadler, Hayley Stopp and Angie Brown.
Director Andrew Hemstock and his assistant, Bryony Oliver, have capably captured the warmth of this play. The whole story is based around a loving family atmosphere, where nothing else matters than the happiness and welfare of the family. With two superb leads, Richard and Meredith as ‘Pop’ and ‘Ma’ this show glows.
Ryan Marano, who is in his early twenties, was most convincing as the slightly senile, 80 year old neighbour, I really thought he was over 50 in real life. Sexy Giordarna and timid Dominic worked convincingly as the young loving couple. The whole cast oozed warmth, with perfect interaction and chemistry.
The lighting and sound designs were by Tony and Suzanne Perry, with technical operations by Mark Turnbull. The colour of the lighting was well considered, as the pink glow of evening turned to the blue of the night. The accurate sound effects of the vehicles, blackbirds and nightingales were crisp and most realistic.
It took me 45 minutes each way from my home in Ardross, but it was well worth the journey – Ellenbrook is not the end of the earth! This beautifully presented production, in a comfortable theatre, is certainly worth seeing.
Enjoy a delightful evening in the country, with the family that was a major hit in every home for five years in the 1990s.