Recent Plays

CAUGHT IN THE NET

By Ray Cooney.  Directed by Bernard Riley.

20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd January 2010

Ray Cooney's hilarious farce Caught in the Net is a sequel to Run for your Wife, which ran for nine years in London's West End.  We find bigamist John still running between the his two families, one in Wimbledon and the other in Streatham.  When his daughter Vicki and son Gavin threaten to meet up following chats on the internet, but not realising that they share the same father, John has to ensure the meeting will not happen.  Even with the tireless help of his poor lodger Stanley and the interference of Stanley's Dad, it seems inevitable that the game is up and that his wives Mary and Barbara are destined to meet!

Click on images below to enlarge.

Smith and Son John Smith (David Pritchard) and Gavin Smith (Chris Andrews)		Mum - you'll never believe this! Gavin and mum Barbara Smith (Carol Crossfield); Vicki Smith (Karen Wilton) and mum Mary Smith (Dianne Newby)		I've met this fantastic girl! Gavin and Barbara
My Boobie-Boo-Boos! John and Barbara		Would I lie to you? John, Mary and lodger Stanley Gardner (Robert Colbeck)		Paying the rent? Stanley and Gavin
Sweet sixteen Vicky		Sick of the subterfuge John and Stanley		Waiting for the John Barbara
Mary, Mary quite contrary Barbara comforts Mary		A near revelation John, Mary and Stanley		Dad lends a foot Stanley's Dad (Alan Foale)
The last laugh Mary and Barbara		East and West End Girls Mary, John, Barbara and Stanley		In search of the Wimbledon waves Dad
Rehearsal larks David, Dianne and Robert enjoy a daft moment		Caught in the Net The programme		With thanks Our fabulous backstage crew

Audience feedback for Caught in the Net: Very good.  Enjoyed a fab laugh. Haven't had such a laugh for years!  Thanks!  HB & GP Bob [Robert Colbeck] you were fantastic as well as all the others.  Can't stop laughing!!! David Broker Just brilliant. Alison G. Top banter - thanks. That Vicki's nice. First class performance and setting.  Congratulations to all concerned.  Wonderful evening of comedy and fun.  New chairs excellent. Heating was very acceptable.  Maybe interval too long!!! Bob T. I thought it would be good to let you know how much four of us on the front row enjoyed the Saturday night performance at Adel. Not only Robert, who we managed to tell how brilliant we thought he was afterwards in the bar but all the others, were excellent in their parts. Our menfolk were crying with laughter and laughing out loud and we two women thoroughly enjoyed it all, a little more quietly.  Congratulations to all concerned. No prompts needed and how they all managed to remember all those difficult lines and situations we shall never know. Well done. Thank you so much.  PS Almost forgot the chairs, wonderfully comfortable. Sally E, Nigel E. and Hazel and Graham B. We all really enjoyed the play last night. Val C. Thank you for a brilliant production of Caught in the Net, I think it was one of your best.  Margaret R.

Review of 'Caught in the Net' by Ann Lightman as published in Adel Bells magazine A Spring Tonic          The Adel Players “Caught in the Net” 20-23 January 2010 One wonders if the latest Adel Player’s production should have been available on prescription!  If “Laughter is the best medicine” then yes – four full houses which had plenty of laugh which must have had a positive effect on the health in Adel, especially after all the cold and snowy conditions we have endured.  Not so sure about the cast though – it was such a physical play that the leading men in particular must have been near exhaustion at the end! “Caught in the Net” by Ray Cooney OBE is the sequel to “Run for Your Wife”,  which holds the record for the longest-running comedy in the West End.  Frankly I thought this superior – the best farce I have seen. The “plot”, if it can be called that, is based on a bigamist getting found out – considerably funnier than that bald statement. The unravelling of the bigamy in both homes is shown simultaneously on stage – enabling the action to flow speedily, without breaks, so that the audience gets quickly swept into the intrigue. One would think that such a plot inevitably would “end in tears” but a clever twist at the end (which I am not revealing) meant a feel good “happy ever after” ending…the only tears were those of laughter. As usual the cast were superb, word perfect, timing spot on…I particularly noticed the superb visual humour…how the cast didn’t “crack up” a few times remains a mystery. Again I am really impressed at the age range in the cast and the two younger members, Chris Andrews, and Karen Wilton (making her debut), need congratulating in holding their own in such a talented and experienced cast. The writing was superb too - plenty of very clever, witty lines. I found the characters surprisingly well-developed for a farce. One did not expect such a play to delve deeply into moral questions, though it did carry the “health warning” (repeated once) that bigamy was illegal. It did leave me wondering when it was written though. The mobile phone calls and the internet chat-room seemed bang-up-to-date, the relaxed attitude to marriage, the treatment of same-sex relationships and the husband laying down the law and being obeyed, seemed so long ago! The date is elsewhere in Adel Bells. What is your guess? The quality of the production is now matched by other aspects. Superb new (and comfortable) chairs have been very generously donated and were much appreciated. Obtaining the booked tickets (at £5) on the night is speedy…perhaps due less change needing to be counted. The programmes are by donation and are sponsored by several advertisers. The teas, served in the Gladys Tetley room, worked well and as usual ice-creams are available in the Hall. The next production is “The Cherry Orchard” by Anton Chekhov on 21-24th April.  Book early as it is in “the round” and I suspect will soon sell-out. Ann Lightman

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TAKING SIDES

By Ronald Harwood.  Directed by Bernard Riley with assistance from Jane Waites.

21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th October 2009

Taking Sides takes place in the American Zone of occupied Berlin in 1946. The American portion of the Denazification Tribunal has convened to take over the questioning of Wilhelm Furtwangler, one of the outstanding conductors of his time. He was at the height of his career in 1933 when Hitler came to power. Most of his colleagues fled the country as the terror of Nazism spread but Furtwangler chose to stay. Did he stay to do as much good as possible in the face of evil, as many believe or did he serve Hitler, as he was later accused?

This was performed in the round which Director Bernard Riley realised would draw the audience into the increasingly intense interrogation.  The audience could feel like they were sitting in the room with troubled Major Arnold, the more sympathetic Lieutenant Wills, secretary Emmi Straube, and the accused Maestro Wilhelm Furtwangler and were consequently forced to take sides.

Click on images below to enlarge.

The Set The audience sat on all four side for this In The Round production	The Set - Berlin Lit up and ready for the start of the play (including Major Arnold's office, the post-bombing rubble and glowing brazier)		Wartime Berlin A sentry (Tom McMeeking) gives food to a vagrant (Amanda Stephens) amongst a bombsite
'Are we recruiting children now?' Lieutenant David Wills (Chris Andrews) and Major Steve Arnold (Robert Colbeck)	The Major and the Secretary Major Arnold and Emmi Straube (Carol Crossfield)		'He waves, he sways, he jiggles' Helmuth Rode (Gavin Jones) comments on Furtwanglers conducting style
Listing those Furtwangler helped An Auschwitz victim's wife Tamara Sachs (Claire Lipman) and Wills	Interrogating the Maestro Arnold and Wilhelm Furtwangler (Mike Andrews)		Sorting the evidence Arnold and Emmi

Audience feedback for Taking Sides: This is just to let you know what a great evening we had last night.  An excellent performance from everyone. Well done to all, and congratulations to Bernard. (RV) I had not seen this Ronald Harwood play before and therefore I had no preconceived ideas on how it should be performed. On the whole the plot lent itself well to an 'in the round' presentation but we were on the 'bomb site' side and I lost some of the facials and body language of that excellent actor Robert Colbeck playing an American interrogator in Berlin in 1946. There was no mistaking his character's cold antipathy towards Nazi sympathisers. The reason for his seemingly unreasonable attitude becoming apparent in the closing scenes. A totally gripping performance. Mike Andrews playing the stiff, aristocratic Wilhelm Furtwangler was splendidly resilient to Major Arnold's aggressive interrogations. A performance of poise and polish. Bernard Riley had assembled a talented cast and there were no weak performances. Gavin Jones, playing Helmuth Rode gave an almost elegant performance as the insignificant 'second violinist.' His timing and body language were excellent. Carol Crossfield (Emmi Straube) Chis Andrews (Lieutenant David Wills) and Claire Lipman (Tamara Sachs) were 'real' characters in this drama, each one complementing the action with skill and spot on emotions. This was a smooth and convincing production. Another Bernard Riley 'in the round' masterpiece. (MN) I would like to say how much I enjoyed Adel Players' production of 'Taking Sides' and I particularly appreciated the script of Ronald Harwood as he ably presented the questions of whether or not the great conductor, Wilhelm Furtwangler, had served the Nazis regime during the war. Robert Colbeck was a masterful American interrogator displaying such strength and determination to bring this man to submission whilst Mike Andrews, as Furtwangler, carefully built up his own defence in such an emotional and powerful way. It made for an electric evening made more involving for the audience as both argued their case in the closeness of the 'in the round' setting. I appreciated the total concentration and discipline of the rest of the cast and thought they were all completely and believably immersed in their roles. This is one to remember! (JN) It never ceases to amaze me just how professional this company of thespians is. The level of commitment, energy and drive is apparent in the top notch productions that they stage. Taking Sides was a superb example of this and I will certainly be buying my ticket for the next show. (KS) From a review by Donna Shoesmith-Evans for the Adel's parish magazine 'Adel Bells':   The set, played in the round, clearly and tellingly evokes the grim, bombed out post-war Berlin at the time this investigation took place.  The sheer passion and intensity keeps the play constantly moving along so that the audience never feels restless...The Adel Players challenge their audience and illustrate their excellence in dealing with historical drama (as previously seen in Breaking the Code).

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TONS OF MONEY

Adapted by Alan Ayckbourn from an original farce by Will Evans and Valentine.  Directed by Dianne Newby.

22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th April 2009

When 1920's couple Aubrey and Louise Allington learn that they have inherited 'tons of money', they have to concoct a cunning way to keep their many creditors at bay resulting in Aubrey's staged death and the appearance of many bounty-hunting imposters.  An hilarious farce, beautifully rescripted by Alan Ayckbourn, which included some wonderful laugh-out-loud lines and a fair bit of physical comedy (some verging on dangerous stunts!).  After a lot of fake beards, a monk with too many knots, a grumpy gardener and a meddlesome butler, do the Allington's get their money?  Is life ever that simple?!

We performed this on the stage and our audience numbers came to an approximate total of 400 over the four nights we performed - a record for Adel Players and proof of the success of increasing our run from three nights to four.  All the cast and backstage crew worked extremely hard to make this a slick and fun play to watch and be involved in.

Click on images below to enlarge.

Tons of Money The poster	The Butler takes a message - Sprules (Mike Andrews)	Troublesome Auntie Ben - Miss Mullett (Pat Riley), Louise Allington (Amanda Stephens) and Aubrey Allington (Robert Colbeck)
Here come the girls - Jean Everard (Jane Waites) and Louise	The lawyer brings good news - Aubrey, James Chesterman (David Pritchard) and Louise	Darling!  I'd know you anywhere from your kiss - Louise, Jean and Maitland imposter, Henery (Alan Foale)
The servants' secret signals - Sprules and parlour maid Simpson (Carol Crossfield)	Flowers!- The inarticulate gardener Giles (Bernard Riley) and Aubrey	Storytime with Maitland of Mexico - Simpson, Giles, Miss Mullet and the infamous knitting
Beard no. 1 - Aubrey disguised as George Maitland	Beards nos. 2 & 3:  Who the...? - The real George Maitland (Gavin Jones) meets Maitland-imposter Henery	When the Maitlands locked beards - George and Henery fight it out
Habitual love - Miss Mullett indulges her knotty adoration for Brother Brown aka Aubrey, with Louise	Building the set for Tons of Money - The stage construction team hard at work	The completed and dressed set

With thanks to Matthew Newby for many of these photographs, taken during a dress rehearsal.

Audience feedback for Tons of Money: Just wanted to say how much Neil [aged 9] and I enjoyed the show.  He was giggling away and thought the man with no clothes on [Robert Colbeck as Aubrey] was hysterical!!!  He also loved Bernard [Riley as Giles] and has spent the morning coming into a room, saying "eggs" and then walking out again (in the style of Bernard of course) - much to the mystification of his brothers...A night of laughter was just what I needed...The show was great and we thought it was fantastic.  Do pass on my congratulations to the rest of the cast and Dianne.

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