RIVERSIDE Drama Company celebrate the group's 10th
anniversary at the end of the month with a production of Alan
Ayckbourn's hilarious and thought-provoking comedy Comic Potential.
Boasting a bumper cast of 18, Comic Potential will be staged at Long
Eaton's Duchess Theatre on Thursday, November 28 to Saturday November
30.
Directed by Martin Holtom, the play is set in a TV studio in the near
future, where a director (a once-famous alcoholic has-been),and his
female assistants (who are also a couple) are making a daytime soap
opera of the usual appalling sort.
The difference is that they are using actoids - robots programmed to act
- and there are no scriptwriters.
Into this situation comes the idealistic Adam, nephew of the millionaire
station owner, who wants to write comedy of the quality that Chaplin and
Keaton once embodied.
Suddenly custard pies, comedy trips and double takes are back on the
slapstick comedy menu. But when Adam falls in love with Jacie
Triplethree (JC333), one of the actoids on the show, everything is
turned upside down - as Jacie grows more human and the line between
actoid and human narrows.
Things really explode when the pair run off together to face the outside
world - and the obvious problems it will bring them as a couple.
Jacie is played by Liz Norris with John Lomas as Adam. Pat Tuffin takes
on the role of burned-out director Chandler Tate, Janet Bradbery is
sanctimonious regional director Carla Pepperbloom, Jo East (Trudi Floote)
and Pam Chamberlain (Prim Spring) play Tates studio assistants, Keith
Coxon plays wheelchair-bound meglomaniac TV company owner Lester
Trainsmith and director Martin Holtom also pops up onstage as Lester's
voice-piece, Marmion.
The cast is completed by Bob Baron (man in shop/Turkey the pimp), Rob
Osmond (the doctor/the farmer), Liz Turner (the mother/farmer's wife),
Donna Chinn (a prostitute), Paul Norris (the son/hotel waiter), Emjay
Sadler (hotel desk clerk), Holly Wilcockson (hotel waiter two), Moya
Magee (technician), Pat Clarke (dress shop assistant), and Rachael
Meller (girl in dress shop). Assistant director is Maggie Millington.
Tickets are available from 0115 8750506 or the box office on 0115
9729195.
More details on this and the group at www.riversidedrama.com.
|
