Two-hander proved the right opener...

Stratford's Trinity Players' curtain-raiser - Encounter - directed by Ursula Russell was an apt start to the group's latest set of performances held at the Shakespeare Institute last Saturday. It was non other than scenes from Alan Bennett's Two in Torquay which was originally written for Judi Dench (and her late husband Michael Williams) in 1998.

Despite setting themselves up with a hard act to follow (Dench played Miss Plunkett and Bennett Mr Mortimer on the radio), duo Tony Boyd-Williams and Ursula Russell did a sterling job.

Set in a seaside hotel, the two took the audience on a journey of intrigue and deception as we were given an insight into the life or poor victim Miss Plunkett, who turns out not to be what she seems.

Both performed with great aplomb and Bennett's clever twist at the end of the radio play offered a quaint start to what proved to be an entertaining afternoon.

Second up was an excerpt from Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Ernest, which gently led the audience through one of the most significant scenes of the play - where Cecily and Gwendolen both discover they are engaged to be married to Ernest Worthing. The cast of seven gave a strong performance, notably Tim Raistrick as John Worthing, Tom Cardwell as Algernon Moncrieff and Helen Ormrod and Orion Johnson as the two 'wronged' women Cecily and Gwendolen respectively.

Helen Ormrod particularly captured her dim, but calculating character well and Orion Johnson's Gwendolen was a delight. But the two men, Raistrick and Cardwell, stole the show as they tried to out-wit each other in the race to be christened Ernest. Despite accents becoming a little trite at times, this was a sturdy performance by all concerned.

The second part of the programme offered the audience a little gem of a discovery - A Summer Garden - a new work written and directed by Steve Newman, based on the character and life of Sir Edward Elgar and his composer friend Frederick Delius.

This sensitive piece showcased the talents of this Stratford writer as he captured all the nuances of both central characters. Steve Newman also excelled himself on the stage as he captured the mood swings, and private nature of Elgar. Tony Boyd-Williams proved a convincing Fritz Delius, struggling with his deteriorating health and blindness. Glenda Boyd-Williams was a strong Jelka Delius and Janey Huscared showed her versatility playing multiple support roles as the two English composers recollected their lives and experiences.

The piece definitely deserves further airings.

Finally, Tim Raistrick directed Jubilee, a new translation of Anton Chekhov's play. Although an energetic end to the afternoon, one could not help but feel that this piece would have been better placed by itself on a different occasion. Although the acting was strong - in particular Peter Cubitt as the almost Basil Fawlty style bank chairman, Graham Wilcox as the nervous Nicholas Herne and Dorothy Raistrick as the ever irritating Mrs Markaby - its clumsy slapstick nature didn't sit well with those that went before it.

But in all four fine performances.
Sandy Holt

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The RSC might have Richard Wilson, but Trinity Players, on Saturday the 24th October, can give you four extracts from plays by Anton Chekhov and Oscar Wilde, to name but two, plus a chance to find out what English composers, Sir Edward Elgar and Frederick Delius (and Delius's wife, Jelka) had to say to each other when they met one Tuesday afternoon back in 1933.

Tickets are still available from Holy Trinity Parish Centre.

A Review of Barchester Towers by Garrick Huscared
Trinity Players Production of Barchester Towers At Holy Trinity, Saturday 28th February, 2009

Ursula Russell's adaptation for the stage of Anthony Trollope's tale of power within the Victorian cloisters of Barchester was without doubt a spectacular and richly costumed drama. Herein however we must re-define the term 'armature dramatics'. There was nothing amateur about this production.

Trinity Players are noted for quality and this one did not disappoint. As with any classical literature adapted for the stage it could have benefited from a little trimming but otherwise the show's incredible staging at Holy Trinity Church was a triumph.

There were notable performances across the board, especially Tony Boyd-Williams faultless portrayal of the hen-pecked Bishop, and an equally unflawed performance from Tim Raistrack as the slimy Obadiah Slope, plus a mesmerising performance by Dorothy Raistrick - reminiscent of Dame Edith Evans - proving that talent runs deep in the Raistrick family.

The pace, even for this very wordy piece, never missed a beat with moments of absolute top notch drama and comedy rocking the packed audience with laughter.

The scenes flowed into each other seamlessly thanks to the brilliant idea of dressing the crew in maids outfits, making Mary Wells', Cathy Atkinson's, and Hilary Newman's scene changes a vital part of this production's spell weaving.

By far the best piece of theatre I have seen anywhere in Stratford this year.