HAMSTERLEY PLAYERS DO IT AGAIN – AMUSE THE VILLAGE
REVIEW:ANITA ATKINSON
IF anyone was in any doubt of the greatness of England and her people, you won’t find the answer in Westminster.
It is to the village halls and community centres around the country where it stands out and to that end, the Weardale Gazette went off to Hamsterley for a dose of laughter and warmth from the Hamsterley Players’ latest production.
‘Magic, Music and Mayhem’ was the title of the production, performed over two nights last weekend to sell-out audiences. It was Hamsterley people amusing their friends and neighbours and there was something quintessentially English about it all, especially the silly humour. But it was so much more than that with audience members made up of all ages, they gave up Saturday TV to support their own village hall and their own people and were rewarded with an outstanding couple of hours of pure – and original – entertainment.
Led by former Weardale Cheese Man, Simon Raine and Lawyer, Dominic Bayne, the evening entertainment consisted of almost 20 different ‘scenes’, performed by a handful of villagers, opening with ‘A Kind of Magic’. Six human playing cards surrounding Molly Raine who became Freddie Mercury singing the title song that would gave a clue to the rest of the programme.
Magic indeed it was as one after the other, the scenes of mayhem, magic and music brought guffaws and hand-clapping from the audience. Dominic’s mind-reading and magical prowess stunned them into spontaneous applause at times; Simon’s ridiculous take-off of Donald Trump and his quest for a new national anthem had them rolling in the aisles. More from Molly, singing a specially written song about her experiences – Diva’s Lament’ – in this production was pure genius. Her amazing voice and stage presence is a joy to watch and listen to. You’ll not find better on any West End stage!
And, of course, there were other ‘Players’ who acted and sang alongside, giving it their all and thoroughly enjoying themselves. It was pure and simple entertainment with echoes of Fawlty Towers and the Two Ronnies rolled into one.
Scenes like ‘The Hatstand Murder’ and ‘Trouble at MI6’ were very cleverly written and delivered. All-in-all, the perfect way to spend a Mid-Summer Night in an English village.
Well done to the whole cast and crew of this memorable production.
