The Kitchen Sink
Very good comedy, very well acted and smoothly directed.
Soap-sud comedy
Dreams, drama and dirty dishes at New Era
New Era Players: The Kitchen Sink, at New Era Theatre, Wash Common, from Wednesday, March 15, to Saturday, March 25
Very popular in the 1950s and 60s, kitchen sink dramas were the new wave in theatre and usually featured an angry young man. This play, set in a Yorkshire seaside resort, didn’t have one but it did feature an angry young daughter.
Emily Beck caught the mood and character of Sophie extremely well and was totally believable as a girl who loses her chance to win a black belt and teach ju-jitsu by punching the examiner on the nose for describing her as ‘feisty’. There was a well-observed performance by Alexander Greenwood-Forkin as the young son, shuffling along in teenaged angst, hoping to get into art college with his lurid painting of Dolly Parton wearing a see-through top and with large and very prominent nipples on view.
Suzanne Hudson did well as Kath, the put-upon mother who encourages everybody, even though her own life is lacking. As a school cook and lollypop lady, she is the main breadwinner in the family. Keith Phillips was a suitably downtrodden dad who cannot see that his milk round is no longer viable in a world of huge supermarkets and big plastic bottles of cheap milk. Then there was Pete, a tongue-tied young man who wants to be a plumber and would have liked to court Sophie if he hadn’t been so lacking in words. Patrick Lintin gave a strong, believable performance in this part, his best line being that he wanted to ‘take my love of drains to the next level’. There was also convincing acting from the not so inanimate kitchen sink, where the taps and pipes kept spurting water when they shouldn’t and failing to do so when they should.
The family is obviously falling apart and although there are lots of laughs – particularly when Pete introduces humour with tales of his hip hop-loving, pot-smoking granny – the drama is there between the lines, lacing the comedy effectively. It all made for very good comedy with serious undertones, very well acted and smoothly and unobtrusively directed by twin directors Richard Colley and David Zeke. Lighting and sound effects were also worthy of note, thanks to John Cordery and Crispin Bishop.
A very good production all round. So, not so much a look back in anger as the loneliness of the long distance dysfunctional family, steadfastly mulling over their individual and collective inadequacies.
Derek Ansell
© 2017 Newbury Weekly News
Cast
Martin – Keith Phillips
Kath – Suzanne Hudson
Sophie – Emily Beck
Billy – Alexander Greenwood-Forkin
Pete – Patrick Lintin
Crew
Director – Richard Colley & David Zeke
Stage Manager – Tim Oldham
Lighting / Sound – John Cordery & Crispin Bishop
Prompt – Sue Keer
Set – Nigel Winter & Geoff Scrivener
Costumes – Maddy Winter & Julia Calvert
Props – Richard Colley & David Zeke
Front of House – Maddy Winter
Publicity – Graham Salter
Box Office – Stephen Bennett
Programme – Editor Webb
This is a contemporary piece set in a run-down northern seaside town which follows the ups and downs of a family during the course of one year. Things aren’t going to plan and each of the well-drawn characters has issues to face and problems to resolve. Amid the dreams and the dramas of family life something has to give!
Martin, the father (a milkman), is struggling to keep his business going. Kath, the mother (a school cook and lollypop lady), is desperately trying to keep everyone positive and happy. Billy, the son (an art student), comes to realize that the course he has joined is not for him. Sophie, the feisty daughter (a would-be judo instructor), has an issue from the past which impacts on her ambitions. Finally, Pete (a plumber) is hopelessly sensitive, shy and has desperate romantic designs for Sophie.
Soap-sud comedy
Dreams, drama and dirty dishes at New Era
New Era Players: The Kitchen Sink, at New Era Theatre, Wash Common, from Wednesday, March 15, to Saturday, March 25
Very popular in the 1950s and 60s, kitchen sink dramas were the new wave in theatre and usually featured an angry young man. This play, set in a Yorkshire seaside resort, didn’t have one but it did feature an angry young daughter.
Emily Beck caught the mood and character of Sophie extremely well and was totally believable as a girl who loses her chance to win a black belt and teach ju-jitsu by punching the examiner on the nose for describing her as ‘feisty’. There was a well-observed performance by Alexander Greenwood-Forkin as the young son, shuffling along in teenaged angst, hoping to get into art college with his lurid painting of Dolly Parton wearing a see-through top and with large and very prominent nipples on view.
Suzanne Hudson did well as Kath, the put-upon mother who encourages everybody, even though her own life is lacking. As a school cook and lollypop lady, she is the main breadwinner in the family. Keith Phillips was a suitably downtrodden dad who cannot see that his milk round is no longer viable in a world of huge supermarkets and big plastic bottles of cheap milk. Then there was Pete, a tongue-tied young man who wants to be a plumber and would have liked to court Sophie if he hadn’t been so lacking in words. Patrick Lintin gave a strong, believable performance in this part, his best line being that he wanted to ‘take my love of drains to the next level’. There was also convincing acting from the not so inanimate kitchen sink, where the taps and pipes kept spurting water when they shouldn’t and failing to do so when they should.
The family is obviously falling apart and although there are lots of laughs – particularly when Pete introduces humour with tales of his hip hop-loving, pot-smoking granny – the drama is there between the lines, lacing the comedy effectively. It all made for very good comedy with serious undertones, very well acted and smoothly and unobtrusively directed by twin directors Richard Colley and David Zeke. Lighting and sound effects were also worthy of note, thanks to John Cordery and Crispin Bishop.
A very good production all round. So, not so much a look back in anger as the loneliness of the long distance dysfunctional family, steadfastly mulling over their individual and collective inadequacies.
Derek Ansell
© 2017 Newbury Weekly News
Cast
Martin – Keith Phillips
Kath – Suzanne Hudson
Sophie – Emily Beck
Billy – Alexander Greenwood-Forkin
Pete – Patrick Lintin
Crew
Director – Richard Colley & David Zeke
Stage Manager – Tim Oldham
Lighting / Sound – John Cordery & Crispin Bishop
Prompt – Sue Keer
Set – Nigel Winter & Geoff Scrivener
Costumes – Maddy Winter & Julia Calvert
Props – Richard Colley & David Zeke
Front of House – Maddy Winter
Publicity – Graham Salter
Box Office – Stephen Bennett
Programme – Editor Webb
This is a contemporary piece set in a run-down northern seaside town which follows the ups and downs of a family during the course of one year. Things aren’t going to plan and each of the well-drawn characters has issues to face and problems to resolve. Amid the dreams and the dramas of family life something has to give!
Martin, the father (a milkman), is struggling to keep his business going. Kath, the mother (a school cook and lollypop lady), is desperately trying to keep everyone positive and happy. Billy, the son (an art student), comes to realize that the course he has joined is not for him. Sophie, the feisty daughter (a would-be judo instructor), has an issue from the past which impacts on her ambitions. Finally, Pete (a plumber) is hopelessly sensitive, shy and has desperate romantic designs for Sophie.