Mrs. Markham is 'utterly ludicrous'
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This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from March 1987.
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Put off those daily domestic chores, turn off the "boob-tube" and take a trip to the Harquail Theatre where the Cayman Drama Society will make you forget your cares as it transports you into the utterly ludicrous lives of the Markhams and the Lodges in its latest production, Move Over Mrs. Markham.
As in the best of British farces, the story line is of secondary importance, and in any case I wouldn't want to spoil the evening for future audiences by revealing the entire plot. What I will disclose, however, is that the play is set in the upstairs flat of Philip and Joanna Markham and centres around the real and imagined philanderings of their interior decorator, one Alistair Spenlow. Add to this trio the rakish Henry Lodge (Philip's business partner), his glamorous, flirtatious wife Linda, throw in a sultry Swiss au-pair (Sylvie) who has the "hots" for Alistair, pepper the whole mixture with the presence of a prudish middle-aged spinster who could prove to be the financial miracle that Philip has been hoping for all his life, and you have all the ingredients for a fun-packed night.
The secret of farce is timing and pace, and over the years CDS has established itself as a successful proponent of this type of theatre. This latest offering lives up to all expectations.
With the exception of a few moments in the second act when the action could have hurried a little more, the whole play zipped along with carefree abandon and thoroughly delighted its Saturday night audience. Most pleasing too, was the obvious enjoyment of the cast. When the players are up, the audience will be, too, and small technical glitches (the telephone seemed to have a minor hiccough) will be overcome without slowing the action.
The entire cast must be congratulated for a fine performance: Betsy Leggatt as the leggy "femme-fatale" had Tony Osborne (and the entire audience!!!) goggle-eyed and open-mouthed. Without wishing to sound the slightest bit rude, I hope that audiences will have an opportunity to see a lot more of this tantalising newcomer.
Colin Wilson, old trouper that he is, obviously relished the cameo role of Walter which he portrayed with his usual gusto, and Lisa Merren made an extremely promising debut as Sylvie. Marilyn Osborne as the dotty, prudish Miss Smythe provided a wonderful contrast to the bedroom antics of the rest of the cast, and her delightful tales about her "doggie-woggies" and her "man-who-does" had the audience in stitches.
Janet Crawshaw, another newcomer to CDS (but not to the stage, I see from my programme notes) displayed an experienced stage presence as she portrayed the bored housewife Linda Lodge who is well aware of her husband's regular infidelities and plans a little indiscretion of her own by way of revenge. Sheisobviously something of a "find" for the CDS, and I have no doubt that we will see this very talented actress in many future productions.
Brian Allen, as the much put-upon Alistair who is only really interested in Sylvie, shows how well he has developed as a comic actor. His initial amusement at his predicament gives way to frustration, anger and finally total shock when he is confronted by those unforgettable lines from Philip—"Are you or are you not a poof?"
Anita Munyard, too, in only her second acting role, showed strong emerging talent. Mrs. Markham's desperate attempts to change other people's identities to present a respectable front to Miss Smythe was vintage farce, cleverly acted. When all is said and done, though, it was Tony Osborne and Jeff Parker who stole the show as the scheming husbands. Both are masters of comedy who have that innate ability to gauge the mood of an audience and "fine tune" their performance accordingly. I don't think Tony has portrayed a funnier character than this seemingly cuckolded husband who sees betrayal and infidelity at every turn. Philip's relegation to the role of butler at the end of the play was a joy to behold, all the more so as he attempted to salvage his dignity and self respect with teeth clamped and fists clenched.
Jeff Parker as Henry portrayed a wonderful swashbuckling Don Juan around whom no female was safe. There's something about a rascal that appeals to everyone. His performance, delivery and timing were impeccable, and he also served as a catalyst to many of the performers around him.
Jeff is also to be congratulated as the director. His strong acting skills served him well in this regard, although I am sure that he didn't expect to be called on at the last moment to step into the breach as Henry.
This was CDS' first venture into the Harquail Theatre, and the director faces innumerable problems after the confines of the Town Hall, the "Little Theatre" and the Royal Palms Hotel. Problems of space, lighting, acoustics and sheer size have to be solved literally in a matter of days.
To have accomplished this, and to have retained an artist's ear for the rhythms and cadences of a complex farce during the weeks of rehearsal show that Jeff is a director of the highest skill. Backstage, too, under the competent ministrations of Hilda Bodden, deserves high praise. The set was spectacular and evoked deserved compliments from all members of the audience. Overall, though, it is the audience which judges the success of a play, and Saturday's theatre-goers showed by their laughter and applause that the director, cast and crew had pulled off another success.
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