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Good Things
Presented by:
1812 Theatre
Venue:
1812 Theatre, Upper Ferntree Gully
Reviewer:
Susanna Nelson
Date
Reviewed:
Friday 27th March
2009
The 1812 Theatre is a delightful suburban gem tucked
away behind the main strip of Upper Ferntree Gully. Built in the
1970s, but seeming a lot older, it harks back to the days when a
night at the theatre was a big event. Complimentary glasses of sweet
sherry prior to the performance (and a delightful supper afterwards)
add to the ambience.
Good Things,
by Scottish playwright Liz Lochhead, is a change-of-life romantic
comedy set in a suburban opportunity shop. The action is centred on
the bubbly Susan, played with warmth and gusto by Carolyn Ebdon.
Fast approaching 50, Susan has been left for a much younger woman by
her husband and finds herself volunteering in an opportunity shop,
spending her time discussing life and love with her confidant,
fellow volunteer and would-be suitor Frazer (Nicholas Ryan).
Misunderstanding, farce and elements of Are You
Being Served? combine as Susan nearly meets the gentleman of her
dreams, widower David (Graham Fly), only to be thwarted by the
overbearing Marjorie (Verity Dixon), the ever-hopeful Frazer and her
ex-husband’s smug young bride (Karen Bannon).
The cast use familiar archetypes to great effect –
Verity Dixon’s Marjorie is a composite of every formidable
television sitcom anti-heroine from Hyacinth Bucket to Mrs. Mangle
and she plays the character with a wicked relish. Frazer is another
recognisable sitcom type – a sensitive soul, he is urged out of the
closet by everyone around him only to profess his love for Susan as
the story reaches its climax. As with all good romantic comedies, it
is no surprise when our protagonist emerges victorious – but not
before a series of mishaps has threatened to spoil her fun.
The props in the shop – assorted Manchester,
pre-loved toys, bargain shoes - are employed to great dramatic and
comedic effect, particularly by Doris the Scottish op-shopper
extraordinaire, played for chuckles by Judie Morrow-Emmett. Doris
spends hours rummaging around, trying on layers of mismatched,
pre-loved garments, emerging from the change room to dispense pearls
of wisdom to the staff before disappearing without having purchased
very much.
The set designers have done a wonderful job of
bringing to life the colourful, ramshackle, mix-n-match comfort of
the average bric-a-brac shop, and the passage of time through the
play is nicely flagged with the use of Christmas baubles and
splashes of red for Valentine’s Day at key scene changes in the
performance. With its bright approach to the business of
50-something dating, Good Things is as warm and cosy as the
pre-loved hand knits that make its set so authentic.
Susanna is a trades journalist by day and a culture vulture and
reviewer of just about anything by night. Since her days as a cinema
student she has had two passions - writing and singing. Writing pays
the bills, but if she were ever offered the opportunity to tread the
boards in a Broadway musical, she’d turf out her Mac in an instant.
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