RIVERSIDE Drama Company has made a poignant return to the Duchess Theatre, which was destroyed by fire last November.

The Bramcote-based group performed two one-act plays in the Devonshire Suite which amazingly escaped the blaze. 

Audiences of around 50 each night attended the three performances of The Droitwich Discovery and Albert. 

Regular face Martin Holtom shone amongst his fellow players, as the group rose to the challenge of performing in unfamiliar surroundings.

In The Droitwich Discovery, a group of Shakespeare devotees find themselves in a dusty attic in a Droitwich home where the bard, then aged ten, was said to have lived before he became famous.

Surprise

While forcing open a door, the visitors wonder how a stack of boxes come to be barring the way and soon find out, when to their surprise out of an old wardrobe comes the bard himself. 

Bowled over to see their hero, they begin quizzing him in an enthusiastic manner about his greatest works, 

But they learn that it is not really William Shakespeare but his brother Terry, who claims to have been the inspiration behind Will's greatest writings. 

"Oh yes! I sowed the seeds for my brother. He changed the titles of my works The Estate Agent of Venice, Kevin and Juliet, The Merry Tarts of Windsor and A Lot of Fuss About Very Little, among others, and used them to his advantage," quips Terry.

Martin Holtom, who took on the role of Terry, was joined in the mayhem by Donna Chinn, Amy Hall, Bob Baron, Sylvia Holmes, who made a pleasing debut as Karen, and Maggie Millington, in Nick Warburton's play that was directed for Riverside by Paul Norris. 

Comedy

The second play, Albert by Richard Harris, was directed by Rob Osmond. Martin Holtom played the title role in this comedy of mis-understandings brought about by language barriers.

Martin plays an Englishman who finds conversing with Karin, a Finnish au pair played by Donna Chinn, and Nico, an Italian, Paul Norris, too much to bear in an hilarious comedy which has a tragic ending. 

The company donated the £250 proceeds from its performances to the Duchess Theatre's Phoenix Fund, 

* Anyone wishing to become involved with the Riverside Drama Company as a performer or as a helper backstage should telephone 0115 8750506 or visit the website at www.riversidedrama.com