Written by Sam and Bella Spewack, by arrangement with Samuel French Ltd.
Directed by Valerie Hobbs
It is Christmas Eve, 1901 in the French tropical prison colony of Cayenne in South America. Felix, a hopeless store-keeper, fearfully awaits the owner, Gaston. Providence has provided the Dulay's with three guardian angels - three convicts. In no time they have cooked Christmas lunch and Felix's books and loose their own executioner on Gaston for his cruel behaviour.
The curtains opened on 'My Three Angels' to reveal a stunning and clever set of bamboo and wood, giving a feeling of the heat and oppression of a sultry South American climate. It certainly warmed us up on a cold winters night in Medstead. Congratulations to the set designers, painters and builders - you excelled yourselves.
After a rather slow start, due in my opinion to the script rather than the acting, the play picked up pace in the second and third acts.
The Three Angels in question are delightfully helpful and philosophical convicts, each serving life sentences for evil crimes for which they seem to show little remorse. They have been working locally and are looking for somewhere to spend Christmas.
They were all convincing and reacted admirably with each other. Well done to Dominic Clifford as happy go lucky Alfred, David Rae as the scheming Jules and Geoff Rushden as the talented accountant Joseph, as they ingratiated themselves into the lives of the Dulay family, greatly enhancing their poor Christmas and the coffers of their down at heel shop, by conning customers into purchasing items which did not fit, or which they did not really want.
Stan Watcher and Anita Prior as the very European Emilie and Felix Dulay were the perfect foil for the adventurous 'Angels'; hard working, hospitable but not too business-like. The Dulays were deeply in debt to the super rich Gaston Lemare played to perfection by Peter Hobbs and very ably, at short notice for Friday's and Saturday's performances by Carol Bedingfield. His untimely visit and insistence on seeing 'the books' caused great consternation in the Dulay house. The books were in very bad shape, as most of their customers did not pay their bills from one month to the next. We were informed of this by the only visible shopper in the form of Madame Parole, amply played by Val Coombs who is establishing herself as a more than competent character actress.
Gaston's insistence on reviewing the books as they were, caused great consternation in the Dulay household. This would cause Felix and Emilie to loose all they had and so the Angels hatch a plan for Alfred to let loose his pet poisonous snake into the bedroom, to do for the dastardly Gaston.
Meanwhile Marie Louise the love struck pampered daughter of the Dulays played by Andrea Robson awaits the arrival of Gaston's nephew and heir the wimipsh and equally spoiled Paul Cassagon, played by Stuart Laidlaw. Both played their characters well.
Poor old Paul gets his just deserts as he has been two timing poor Marie Louise. She is beside herself with grief until the arrival of her knight in shining armour Sub Lieutenant Espoir played by Gareth Bennell, in a shimmering white 'Top Gun' style uniform.
The cast were well rehearsed and there were no apparent gaps or prompts, but the highlight of the whole performance was the costume. Perfect, what more can I add. [Nita Simpson]
Wonderfully directed by Valerie Hobbs and produced by Janice Hopwood, the latest offering by Medstead Players was 'different'. The audience gasped and applauded when the curtains opened on a wonderfully evocative house/shop interior of what was surely, bamboo construction - with a patio opening off the back, surrounded by plants and with a brilliantly blue sky (lovely bird noises too and at times, cricket song).
Stan Whitcher and Anita Prior in lovely Victorian costume, were a very gentle couple Felix and Emily Dulay, whose life was being eroded by their inability to manage their own affairs and the imminent arrival of the 'baddie' - the owner.
The three angels just happened to be convicts, very believable at first, but with hardly the type of behaviour one expects of convicts (all murderers by the way). They were so helpful, and truly angelic as they helped in many ways - 'cooking' the books, obtaining free food, persuading customers to buy goods which they didn't really want, even forging a will etc. However, the most important way they helped was by 'getting rid' of the baddies with the aid of a resourceful poisonous snake called Adolph, thus of course perpetuating their original reason for being in prison. The three angels: Dominic Clifford, David Rae and Geoff Rushton portrayed these men very well. They were quiet, humorous, intelligent, well behaved, and completely ruthless when it came to being angelic towards their favoured family.
Andrea Robson played the teenage daughter Marie-Louise, easily manipulated, first by her intended, then by the convicts, who persuaded her that the handsome, youthful lieutenant Espoire, played by Gareth Bennell, was more to her taste than the weak Paul Cassagon, played by Stuart Laidlaw who could not, and would not, stand up to his uncle.
On the Friday and Saturday performances, the part of Gaston Lemare, the shop owner was taken by Carol Bedingfield, as Peter Hobbs had been taken ill. Carol was excellent, dressed as a man, and holding the script in her hand with her other papers. She obviously knew the part well after acting as prompt and we soon forgot that she wasn't the horrid Gaston.
Val Coombs played Madame Parole, a very devious, fussy, lady of the period, who really wanted to cheat her friends, the shopkeepers, but got her come-uppance in the end, despite her face pulling and stubborn refusal to pay.
Once again, the set itself really complemented the play, isn't there any way of preserving it - don't suppose there is. Congratulations to all in the cast, front of house and back stage for a really superb performance. [Jean Gebbett]
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Cast:
Felix Dulay (store keeper) - Stan Whitcher
Emily Dulay (Felix's wife & store keeper) - Anita Prior
Marie-Louise Dulay (their daughter) - Andrea Robson
Gaston Lemare (cousin and shop owner) - Peter Hobbs / Carol Bedingfield
Paul Cassagon (Gaston's nephew) - Stuart Laidlaw
Madame Parole (a customer) - Val Coombs
Alfred (a convict) - Dominic Clifford
Jules (a convict) - David Rae
Joseph (a convict) - Geoff Rushton
Sub-Lt. Espoire (French naval officer) - Gareth Bennell