PATIENCE, Chapel End Savoy Players, Lloyd Park Pavilion, Walthamstow, Wed 10th May 1978.

James Skeggs accompanied me to this production of his old society (5 years old). I met him at Walthamstow station, and he told me that he had been to the Dress rehearsal the previous night, which had been terrible. I was pleasantly surprised by the performance, which, while by no means brilliant, was certainly enjoyable. Basil Abbott, the MD conducted with authority, but had an ingratiating rostrum manner which I found rather irritating. The production said nothing at all, it was a very ultra-trad production with all the usual cliches. The overture was pretty fast, and the orchestra produced a good solid if unsubtle sound. There were 18 maidens, which wasn't bad. Patience began her recit far too far back on the stage, where she couldn't be seen. Margaret Williams sang her song well though she had a tendency to dryness on top. The soldiers were a trifle geriatric. Peter Bell was quite inadequate as the Colonel, he couldn't sing any of the long held notes, which he simply oct off. His speech impediment reminded me vaguely of Max Taylor (ex ICOS) carried to a painful degree (but Max can sing, and knows how to make his lisp less obvious). The business with the Major (Derek Purkis) polishing his boots was identical with the D'Oyly Carte, so was the voice of the Duke (Hedley Merriman) who appeared to be apeing Ralph Mason. In "in a doleful train" Angela (Isobel Abbott) was off the note, though she had been quite OK in the opening chorus, Saphir (Rosa Bell) had a tight prissy voice with a wobble, and seemed to be singing in her teeth. Bunthorne (Tony Lilleystone) was wearing that ghastly traditional mustard coloured costume from Fox's (I've worn it too). He gave a very tedious performance; he was obviously trying hard, but was exceedingly pettish. The gestures in his song were meaningless and the song was very dull. He couldn't sing. Angela proved to be quite a hopeless actor when she tried to speak sensibly, in the scene with Patience, where she should at least be vaguely human, she still continued to pose aesthetically. Grosvenor (Vincent Daniels) had a harsh grating voice when he sang high - it made him sound as if he was singing flat (which he wasn't); however, later, when he had some lower passages, he sounded quite all right, so it may simply be that the part was too high for him. His acting was stiff but intelligent. Something horrible happened to the woodwind at the beginning of the first act finale - James and I looked at each other and winced. Angela & Saphir's cymbals were far from merry, producing dull thuds instead of crashes. There was no tenor in the chorus who was able to reach the top G in "oh poet how say you" The main problem with the whole thing was limpness - the cast were walking through it and it lacked sparkle. The tempi during the opera were very lethargic, which was surprising in view of the punch of the overture. In the interval I admitted to James that I'd been very nervous coming there that night, as I'd been afraid it would be terrible and that he would have been upset if I hadn't liked it. He grinned and said "I'd have been far more upset if you'd said you liked it when you didn't". Lady Jane (Doreen Purkis) had a light voice and had trouble reaching the bottom notes. She looked the part to perfection, though, being very tall with a magnificent aristocratic bearing and iron-grey hair. She also had a sense of humour, for she had trouble persuading her cello to stay propped upright against the bench after the recit and she shot us a smile of relief when she did manage it. Her "A lack-a-day, and WOW" when she shoves Bunthorne down onto the seat after "In a doleful train, one and one I walk all day" was lifted from D'Oyly Carte to the letter. At his "quick change" Grosvenor couldn't get his aesthetic cap off (pinned to his hair?) and wore it under his pot hat for the rest of the scene. His acting improved as the evening wore on - and when he sang low down he was really quite good. Patience (Margaret Williams) was a big girl, but she was pretty, acted with intelligence, and sang prettily, though her voice tired easily, and she was beginning to shorn signs of strain by the end of the evening. MICHAEL WALTERS

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