It's "Downton Abbey meets Fawlty Towers!"
Walberton Players take to the stage with Hell and High Water, a one-act comedy with ploughman's supper and BYO drinks.
Performances are on Friday, July 11 at 7pm and Saturday, July 12 at 7pm, with tickets available from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/walberton-players
Clarice Ryan is loving her Walberton debut.
“It's a very funny play and it is really about British traditions. The patriarch of the family always insists that they dine in the dining room even now when there is a burst pipe and the room is quite rapidly flooding. It is in an upper-class British country house, and it's very British. It's definitely the kind of show that probably wouldn't work in any other country!
“But it is set around the time that the patriarch of the family is just really trying to uphold the traditions but the younger generation are questioning him more and more. We are losing that British stiff upper lip mentality.
“I am playing the daughter of Lord Charles, a character called Pamela, and without giving too too much away Pamela is going through a bit of a personal crisis. She is married but her husband is away rather a lot and she has become close to a man called Philip who is called, affectionately or not, the lounge lizard by the rest of the family. The whole thing is a bit like Downton Abbey meets Fawlty Towers!
“And it is the fact that the family is trying to carry on in this absurd situation. But then later as the room becomes more and more flooded, the panic sets in. They're not the smartest bunch! They can't swim!
“It's really good. I'm very, very new to the theatrical world. I didn't have a lot to go on, but this is way more fun than other things I've been involved in. There is no overlord to the whole production. The whole thing is quite a collaborative effort. It's all a question of ‘what do you think about this?’ or ‘what do you think about that?’ It's just about trying to find ways to make it work.
“I was new to the area. I moved to Littlehampton and I thought it would be a nice way to get involved with the community. I thought that I wouldn't get cast but I thought I would just show my face and get over the nervous introductions and then throw myself into it. And now I am in this show, and I'm just really loving it. They have got some really great characters and everyone is so welcoming and friendly and kind.”