Wivelsfield Little Theatre share laughter, tears and jam tarts in their recent production

The play opened in an antiquated village hall on a cold January evening where each of the characters arrived in turn for the committee meeting of that year’s summer fete. Having sat on a village committee myself, the hilarious depiction by the cast was all too familiar. From caring and dependable Gloria (played by Maggie Carter) getting to point 48 on the agenda but still not quite finishing, and selectively deaf Mavis (played by Jo Callaghan) starting to do some knitting and by scene two having a king size blanket done, to forthright horsey Marjorie (played by Sarah Baldock) complaining about the state of the hall and finding a ‘French letter’ amongst the rubbish left behind the radiator, and village gossip Ethel (played by Liz Burton) with her scandalous stories of up turned hairbrushes. What on the surface seemed like a basic story of a committee and a summer fete, was in reality full of dramatic twists and turns, and there were several side stories weaved throughout the script which bought a hint of scandal, betrayal, heartbreak and love. Such as the love triangle between Reverend Geoffrey and his long-suffering wife Pauline (played by James McKinnie and Amy Kelly) and neglected Major’s wife Sally (played by Rebecca Sayers-Brown). Completing the committee line up was new to the village infant teacher Angela (played by Immy Fair on her debut on the WLT stage), who changed from shy naïve newcomer in the first act, through to a strong confident young lady in act 2. Each character adding to the many laughs this play had the audience in.

Time skipped forward several months in Act 2, now the day of the fete, with brilliantly selected fancy dress costumes, and the realisation that a lot had happened ‘behind the scenes’. As the characters pop in and out of the hall, secrets are revealed and emotions run high. Whilst Ethel and Mavis continued to bring humour to the stage, with their quick-witted dialogue, hilarious facial expressions, and comic timing, the other cast gave us powerful and emotional performances, sharing their personal stories with raw emotion. We, the audience, were all on the edge of our seats wondering what the next dramatic twist might be, and had fully committed to the stories…..gasps, tears, boos and all!

The set itself was on point, as it always is with WLT. Little touches like the notice board having relevant posters on it, as well as giving nods to past members, and the flat outside the door changing from winter to summer. These details all really made you feel like you were with the characters as they moved through the emotions of laughter, tears and love. The costumes, the set, the lights and sound, all played their part in helping take us on a journey alongside the characters. The play was successfully directed by the amazing Lesley Corbett, who tied all the intricacies of this story together to give four nights of audiences some good quality entertainment, which was a pleasure to watch. I shall certainly be buying tickets for Pygmalion, Wivelsfield Little Theatre’s next show in the Autumn. They will also be performing a Beatrix Potter inspired play at Wivelsfield Village Day on 12th July – let’s hope for sunshine and fun, with a lot less drama and bouncy castle troubles than their summer fete had in Day of Reckoning.