From Parish Pump of October 2008

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BARCHESTER TOWERS

 

   More or less every year for the last fifteen so, Appletree Theatre have brought their very individual brand of outdoor theatre to the courtyard at Cotswold Woollen Weavers. This year doubtful weather drove them indoors, and they were very grateful to the rector and churchwardens for permission to use St Peter’s Church. Three good congregations watched the Barchester plot thicken, and our woman-in-the-stall was there for Parish Pump…

 

   It was good to welcome Appletree Theatre again, with a strong and handsome cast inviting us to witness the intrigues of cathedral life, as the world of the decent and honourable incumbents was thrown into disarray by the arrival of the new Bishop, his ghastly wife - and his ambitious chaplain.

   St Peters Church, Filkins was a perfect venue, and as soon as Mike Waters (ideally cast as the kindly Septimus Harding) was before us setting the scene, we knew we could settle back and enjoy the fun, as pride, icy disapproval and manipulation very nearly – but not quite – won the day, before life could be restored to its previous gentle rhythm.

   Appletree Theatre has strength in depth. Each year the company visits, it’s pleasing to see familiar faces and also meet new ones, and each time it’s hard to single out performances for special mention, but here are the ones that particularly impacted on me:

   - outward piety and inward cold self-interest , a potent recipe served by a

deliciously slimy Obadiah Slope – a showcase performance by Nick Clayton. I think you would be hard pressed to find a better portrayal.

   - Will Martin, deputizing for his father, playing Dr Proudie and showing an acting maturity well beyond his years

   - the self-effacing openness combined with dash and swagger shown by Joe Packer as Bertie Stanhope, and Joe’s ability to contrast this nicely with his other role as the much older Mr Quiverful, father of fourteen children ! (charmingly and beautifully represented by Alys and Elizabeth Martin)

- and the delightful dottiness of Anne Martin as Miss Thorne.

   Trollope is not the easiest of authors to stage, and the device of using the cast to now and again remind us of what had happened and what was about to happen was helpful - and well done to the script writers for steering us through without too much confusion, and, indeed, to the whole production team. We were in good hands.

   Finally – I would love to see this cast do ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’.

 

Pat Clark