Viva
Theatre Company is a thriving organisation. The many talented members
recently presented a titillating farce: Alan Bennet’s “Habeas Corpus” to a
large audience to much acclaim. Moments of great acting and slick timing
gave the intermittent one-liners real effect, while Steve Twigden’s
directing left little to the imagination as the strong characters whiled
their way through the lascivious plot.
David
Tickner playing the jaded GP, Dr. Wicksteed, made his appreciation of the
female form immediately apparent. His self-centred arrogance was clearly
evident as he had great difficulty in remembering even his son’s name.
Michael
Tickner as this stage son, Dennis Wicksteed, with his head on one side, his
shoulders hunched and speaking in monotones, gave a wonderful impression of
a lethargic youth disinterested in matters not of immediate personal
interest.
Nicola
Borthwick (as Muriel Wicksteed) speaking in posh tones, impressed her male
contenders with unfulfilled potential as she moved voluptuously about the
stage. Felicity Rumpers (played by Helen Williamson) flaunted her sexy
figure in wonderful come-hither style while Mrs. Schwab (played by Sarah
Down) gave a sense of order to the proceedings with her clearly defined
personality traits as narrator, commentator and out and out nosey parker.
Constance Wicksteed(played by Kirsten Green) with wide-eyed consternation
flounced her way through her dilemmas created by her limitation in the chest
area. Canon Throbbing (Dan Schumann) as yet uninitiated into the ways of the
world, interspersed the dialogue delightfully with eager requests for
enlightenment. The bombastic conniving and hypocritical Sir Percy Shorter
(played by Keith Gallois) commanded the stage delightfully with cries for
revenge and defiant ‘nevers’.
Meanwhile,
neglected patient Miss Purdue (Luci Twigden), determined to be noticed added
a sense of the macabre with regular threats to commit suicide. Her dangling
body, her head firmly in a hangman’s noose, gave an extra twist to evens as
the curtain came down at the end of the first act.
Mr. Shanks
(Vaughan Moll) was every bit the professional breast enhancer, not above
enjoying the benefits of his trade and Lady Rompers (Maureen Hardingham)
added a touch of history to the plot that was to reveal the ultimate
hypocrisy of all.
This
production gave this rather earthy farce good value. The action featured
swift stage manoeuvres, seductive interactions and clearly timed and
expressed interpolations. Faultless staging, lights and sound and the highly
effective production team made this a most entertaining night out. The
Director and the Producer (Dan Schumann) should be well pleased with this
show.
