Written by
Mark C Bourne
Directed by Anthea Dore
A Better You - video clip [to watch in full screen mode, right click on image and select 'Zoom', to exit press 'Esc'].
I am writing regarding the Medstead Players presentation of the play 'A Better You'. I really wanted to let you know how much myself and partner (and the rest of the audience judging by all the laughter!) really enjoyed the performance. There was such a lot of dialogue but it really sounded like the sorts of conversations women really have all the time, so natural, and so many laughs in both the script and the way it was delivered. We had a great evening and left feeling really uplifted, it was such a tonic (and no need for the gin!). Well done to all concerned!
[Sue Payne]
Medstead Players celebrate their 30th in real style with a wonderful and hilarious farce (Reproduced with permission from the Alton Herald)
Medstead Players celebrated their 30th anniversary last week with the staging of a world premier - and it was at times hysterically funny.
Described as an "hilarious comedy", "A Better You" was written by English dramatist Mark Bourne, who is now living in Australia.
Mr Bourne was due to direct the premier at his local theatre in Australia last month, with the Medstead Players staging the Northern Hemisphere premier in April, but fate intervened - the Australian production has hit by casting problems and had to be postponed, paving the way for their English counterparts to make global history.
Medstead Players director, Anthea Dore, who discovered the play on the internet, contacted Mark Bourne who, she said, helped almost co-direct the play from "Down-under.
Always difficult to perfect, fast-paced farce requires on-the-spot timing and teamwork and Medstead did themselves proud. At times the audience were reduced to tears of laughter by the outrageousness of the situation swallowing the inevitable punch-line with glee.
Centred round a small group of ladies who met regularly to plan fund-raising events for their village hall, on this occasion they were planning instead to embark on a self-improvement course. Entitled "A Better You" the course was to focus on 'aspiration, motivation and empowerment' - but the ladies had other ideas.
Making her stage debut with the players, Nicki Tindale, played a corker as the highly-strung course leader, Cathy-Anne, making the transition from being in control - or so she hoped - to total hysteria.
The 'ladies' were a riot: Val Coombs stayed in character throughout as the irrepressible Josie - inhabiting a world of secret liaisons with the butcher.
Egging her on were Pam Kercher as the free-spirited moped riding, Mildred; Sue Ovell as the forceful Bella; and Carol Bedingfield as Constance - the doctor's wife who thought she was good at organising.
Dancing into action to complicate matters in the second scene were old timers, Anita Prior - almost unrecognisable as the glamorous Maxine, and cheating husband Clifford, alias Stan Whitcher.
"A Better You" was a roaring success for Anthea Dore's foray into the world of directing, and for producer Allan Coombs and his team.
It was a real treat to spend an evening engrossed in something so funny and outrageous. Wonderful escapism!
Directed by Anthea Dore and produced by Allan Coombs, this play was a masterpiece of hilarity. The main 'first' was the fact that this is a new play never been produced before, and the Director was in contact with the author over in Australia via the Internet!
Basically the plot was a very simple one. Five ladies turn up at a Village Hall for a talk by a young woman on how to become 'A Better You'. Unfortunately, because of the actual characters of the little audience, this talk fails, and the poor lady is accidentally given some dog tranquilisers instead of, or in addition to, Valium and ends up dead. Then it is 'how are we going to get rid of the body' time, wheeling the poor girl around on a typing chair underneath a tablecloth. This goes on until the second half, when after the interval she suddenly appears - alive! Then unfortunately, she is killed again. This time no ideas come forward and we are left, when the curtain falls, with 'oh dear!! (only said in much more colourful language).
When first heard these lovely ladies using lots of swear words, talking about men's equipment, and various sexual matters, as if they were discussing everyday village life, I couldn't accept that they could be real. This doesn't happen, at least not in any gatherings I have ever been involved with. However, I then realised that this is exactly what the author had planned, in order to execute the plot - wow - and how Medstead Players responded! True rebels in the feminist stakes. At least there were no 'sh' or 'f' words!
Sue Ovell (Bella) played a reasonably calm dependable person, once the correct spelling of her name had been sorted; Jude Runnalls (Patricia) a wonderfully panicky character; Carol Bedingfield (Constance) quite classy, and always with a practical answer to a problem; Pam Kercher (Mildred) quite nutty, but definitely 'one of them', and Val Coombs (Jose) the most fantastic 'twitcher' I have ever seen, (not a birdwatcher! I just did not recognise Val at all - wonderful disguise. Nicki Tindale (Cathy-Anne), as the unfortunate presenter, was great, you could see her trying desperately to put all her training into talking to this 'gang', but we knew she would never make it.
Val was the one who had an answer to everything, despite shocking her friends when they found out she was having sex with the local butcher. She twitched at her clothes, waved her arms up and down, bit her nails, muttered and mumbled, but always came up with a reasonable answer. However, it was unfortunate for her that she caused the two deaths of the poor speaker. How on earth did you manage to bash her loudly over the head with that fire extinguisher, Val? Frightening it was!
In addition, we had something which I am still not sure fitted in, but was very funny anyway. That was the appearance of Stan Whitcher (Clifford) and Anita Prior (Maxine) as dancers who took over half the hall to rehearse their very good, if short, salsa and tango, beautiful movements. Stan - Oh that wig!! While this was going on, the ladies sang "He's Got the Whole World..........." very much out of tune, with Pam doing extraordinary things with the tambourine, kicking up her skirts etc.
Quite an unusual performance by Medstead Players, but I am not surprised at their success - they always put on an excellent show. The Director and Producer must be very pleased with the result, and the Production team produced a very believable village hall on stage. Sound of the voices could have been a bit louder - that's my only criticism. Once again, well done all.
[Jean Gebbett]
Review by the Author
We laughed heaps and that's no mean feat, considering how well we know the play. You'd think we'd be hard pushed to get a smile out of it anymore!
Give my thanks and congratulations to the cast, they all worked so hard and did a really fun job of bringing my 'slightly loony' ladies to life.
Nicki (Cathy-Anne) - a great job of patronising and perky all at the same time. There were some lovely touches that I didn't write, but certainly made me laugh, especially the 'No, sit, sit, sit' bits. Desperate, patronising and perky all rolled into one - no mean feat.
Sue (Bella) - Delightfully dour and dry. The delivery of 'she's got cable' was classic.
Val (Josie) - Even nuttier than I'd pictured Josie and I loved all the twitches and grimaces. Rather mad, but totally loveable.
Jude (Patricia) - A vision in browns. The 'assertiveness training' gag was definitely a highlight.
Carol (Constance) - Turquoise has special meaning for my own Constance, (I tried to make her wear the colour in a previous play I directed and she hated it) so it was very funny to see you wear it with joy. A nice job of 'in control', whilst clearly not in control.
Pam (Mildred) - nicely understated and no-nonsense. I liked the way you avoided being too angry and went more for 'permanently irritated'.
Anita (Maxine) - Is that your own voice? I couldn't have imagined a better sounding throatiness if I'd tried. She oozed disappointment and resentment from every pore. Well done.
Stan (Clifford) - I hope you didn't feel the wig upstaged you, but it was a classic entrance, very very funny. A lovely physical comedy to Clifford.
I have to mention your set also. How to make the most of a small stage. It was nicely detailed and looked great.
I can't thank you all enough for taking the play on and doing such a good job with it. Thank you all.
[Mark C Bourne]
Synopsis
Bella, Josie, Patricia, Constance and Mildred meet at the community hall each week. They spend their time organizing jumble sales and fair days and inviting guest speakers to address them. Their usual leader is away and has organized for Cathy-Anne (that's Cathy with a 'C', Anne with an 'e', hyphenated), a representative of the 'A Better You' self-help program to come along and do a presentation. Unfortunately for the rather stressed Cathy-Anne, the women have their own individual issues and are very easily distracted. Has Bella's husband really left her for a biker called Hammer? Is it the Girl Guides that are stealing all the toilet rolls? Can Constance manage to get her daughter's wedding organised? Will Mildred ever master the Monterey Turn?
Things do not go as Cathy-Anne had hoped. On top of this, Barry, Cathy-Anne's partner, is constantly calling on her mobile to discuss the lack of offspring in their increasingly rocky relationship. Poor Cathy-Anne is teetering on the edge of a total breakdown and in the ladies misguided efforts to help, things go from bad to worse .....
Cast:
Cathy-Anne (young power-dresser in a trouser suit, patronising and irritable and clearly at the end of a very short fuse) - Nicki Tindale.
Bella (bold and brassy, sarcastic with blunt sense of humour) - Sue Ovell.
Josie (mousy, with baggy clothes and cardigan, lank hair with a centre parting and large glasses, hidden murky depths) - Val Coombs.
Patricia (highly nervous schoolteacher, with a fondness for hippie skirts and tie-dyed clothes, clearly too fragile for teaching) - Jude Runnalls.
Constance (doctor's wife, perfectly presented with class and elegance, however has absolutely no idea that her rather brutal frankness might offend) - Carol Bedingfield.
Mildred (eccentric with loads of hobbies, wildly dressed in pink gingham country and western dress, cowboy boots, leather jacket and moped helmet, she wears a tatty curly wig that has seen better days) - Pam Kercher .
Maxine (snooty and over groomed, dominating and bossy ballroom dancer, wearing full make-up and competition 'attire') - Anita Prior.
Clifford (ballroom dancer with a slight paunch, fake tan, thinning hair, tight black pants and shirt, cummerbund etc - uncomfortable with his dancing prowess and completely under Maxine's thumb, he transforms from meek and mild to dashing and virile on the dancefloor) - Stan Whitcher.
