Silchester Players

Silchester Players' web site is here:

Next production

The Hollow, 9th to 10th and 16th to 17th May
By Agatha Christie.

Where

Silchester Village Hall, Silchester, near Tadley.

Box office

0118 981 5600.

Review of Run For Your Wife

5th to 6th and 19th to 20th October 2007.

From the Newbury Weekly News.

In the farce lane Silchester Players: Run For Your Wife, at Silchester Village Hall, on Friday, October 5, Saturday, October 6, Friday, October 19, Saturday, October 20 Anyone who believes that classic bedroom farce is dead should take note: it's alive and well and living in Silchester. Last week, Silchester Players performed the vintage romp Run for your Wife by Ray Cooney master of the scantily-clad double entendre. The script had been subtly updated, showing no signs of ageing, and, with the help of Tim Oliver's assured direction, the cast gave a slick and fast-paced performance with remarkably few prompts and fluffs. The plot revolves around bigamist cab-driver John Smith (played with his usual sparkle by Brian Gillett), who manages to maintain his double life with the help of a tight schedule, unpredictable shifts and more than a little luck. All goes well until he is concussed by a flying handbag during a street brawl and is brought home from hospital to the wrong wife. As he tries to regain control of his complicated life and hoodwink two spouses and two detectives with ever-more unlikely stories, he digs himself into a hole, dragging with him an unwilling accomplice, his neighbour Stanley - brilliantly played by Tony Oliver, whose timing and versatility added greatly to the humour of the performance. As the two contrasting police sergeants - traditionalist sleuth DS Troughton and the charmingly liberal DS Porterhouse - John Coffin and Alan Moorhouse were very well cast, while Fay Bennett and Sarah Oliver both gave strong and convincing performances as the two wives, whose blissful ignorance gradually turned to stunned credulousness as the play developed. Leanne Qurrey made a brief appearance as a reporter, while Roy Glancey's portrayal of the outrageously camp neighbour Bobby was unforgettable. The play is set in two flats, with the action often occurring simultaneously in both locations. This calls for a simple but very versatile set, and Tim Oliver's design was both attractive and functional, with well cued lighting and sound from Keith Graham. Overall, a strong production and a hilarious performance from the players. MARK LILLYCROP

Previous Productions

The Pompeii Panto, 25th to 26th January and 1st to 2nd February 2008
Run For Your Wife, 19th to 20th October 2007
The Haunting of Hill House, 11th to 12th and 18th to 19th May 2007. See the review in the Archive
Play On!, 6th to 7th and 13th to 14th October 2006. See the review in the Archive.
Time and the Conways, 19th to 20th and 26th to 27th May 2006. See the review in the Archive.
The Wonderful Story of Mother Goose, 27th to 28th January and 3rd to 4th February 2006. See the review in the Archive.
Silchester Players, Of Coarse, 7th to 8th and 14th to 15th October 2005. See the review in the Archive.
Night Must Fall, 13th, 14th, 20th and 21st May 2005. See the review in the Archive.
King Arthur - the Panto, 21st, 22nd, 28th, 29th January 2005. See the review in the Archive.
Old Time Music Hall, 15th to 16th and 22nd to 23rd October 2004. See the review in the Archive.
Tiptoe Through the Tombstones, 14th, 15th, 21st and 22nd May 2004. See the review in the Archive.
Dracula - the Panto, 23rd, 24th, 30th and 31st January 2004. See the review in the Archive.
Sand Castles, 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th October 2003. See the review in the Archive.
The Real Inspector Hound, 25th and 26th April, 2nd and 3rd May 2003. See the review in the Archive.
Puss in Boots, or Thereby Hangs a Tail, 24th, 25th, 31st January, 1st February 2003. See the review in the Archive.
Chase Me Up Farndale Avenue, s'il vous plait, 18th, 19th, 25th and 26th October 2002. See the review in the Archive.
An Inspector Calls, 3rd, 4th, 10th and 11th May 2002
Panto at the O.K. Corral, 25th and 26th January, 1st and 2nd February 2002. See the review in the Archive.
Three One-Act Plays, 4th to 6th October 2001
  In by the Half, a drama
  Distracted Globe, a comedy
  Cup Final, a comedy
See the review in the Archive.
And Then There Were None, 1st, 2nd, 8th & 9th June 2001. See the review in the Archive.
An Arabian Nights Panto, 26th & 27th January, 2nd & 3rd February 2001
Millennium Madness - a revue produced by Jill Hutchins, on 13th, 14th, 20th and 21st October 2000. See the review in the Archive.