REVIEW: DICK BARTON – SPECIAL AGENT
OFF CENTRE THEATRE, MONMOUTH SAYOY
DICK Barton –Special Agent rose to the challenge to save tea time in Off Centre Theatre’s latest production, as the cast gave the hilarious script the full treatment and set the stage alight!
The three performances at Monmouth Savoy (March 13-15) received widespread plaudits from theatregoers, and special mention must go to Iain McIntyre (Dick Barton), Steve Banner (Baron Scarheart) and Kate Russell (Marta Heartburn), who delivered such sizeable roles with great aplomb.
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As Steve Knowles from Chepstow put it; “We’ve been regulars at Off Centre Theatre’s excellent productions for almost ten years, and this ranked up there with the very best. How did they learn all those lines?”
When Britain's entire tea supply is threatened with poisoning, all eyes turn to Barton to save the national brew, with hilarious outcomes.
Interspersed with some marvellous musical interludes by Richard Wadley on piano, and even tap dancing, the comedy even saw Dick, the love-struck Jock (Matthew Bryant), the lovely but ditsy Daphne (Rhian Hathaway) and Sir Stanley stiff upper-lip Fritters (Gordon Casson) imitate elephants to ward off Namibian blood-sucking killer ants!
There were some fascinating plot twists, not least because there were so many different Dicks, or were there?
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Lady Laxington (Gay Rogers), the snobbish ma’am, was uncovered as a secret agent, Jock (Matthew Bryant) became a singing and dancing Rick Tartan, and as for the various guises of Caroline Pearce!
The hapless Colonel (Tony Summers) was overwhelmed with would-be Dick Bartons, and the four thugs (Caroline Pearce , Susannah Adams, Kim Denyer and Eileen Summers), together with the Baron, sang Stress und Trauma – which sounded very like Nessun Dorma, whilst being guarded by a rather dim warder (Terry Rees-Pedlar).
All this mayhem was almost kept under control by Sandra Bargh, the sound effects technician, with comic interludes added by illustrious BBC announcer Stephen James.
Special mention also must go to Richard Wadley who provided the excellent piano accompaniment and musical interludes.
Director Judith Rossiter was delighted with the audience response and engagement at each performance, as they watched the evil Baron and the sultry Marta eventually thwarted by Dick .
The production was dedicated to Barbara Spence who sadly passed away the day before the show opened.
Barbara was a stalwart member of OCT for so many years, acting and performing so many roles for the group.
Her mark was also on this show with her wonderful banner and poster designs, as well as composing the programme. She will be missed by all.
High praise and thanks must go to stage manager Tony Wells ably assisted by Phil, Keith, Stef and Jacob.
Also, the set designer, Chris Robertson, costumes and props, Jenny Weston, Glynis McIntyre, and director Judith with contributions from Caroline Pearce.
Sound and lighting was courtesy of the ever-professional John Parfitt, Paul Macer-Wright and Mark Read.
OCT’s next production is a polar opposite drama, The Entertainer by John Osborne, and is being staged from June 19-21, again at Monmouth’s Savoy.
Tickets will soon be on sale for what promises to be another great production.
Go to: https://monmouth-savoy.co.uk/theatre/ (01600 772467), or visit the Savoy box office in Church Street.