OLDBURY REP is a unique little theatre tucked away on Spring Walk,\u00a0\u00a0Oldbury, where it has been providing a feast of theatre to the local community for some 85 years.
\nAs a seasoned reviewer I get to see productions in the big theatres several nights a week, but I have to say that I found the welcome at Oldbury REP a delightful experience.<\/p>\n
From the moment you walk in the door strangers smile and greet you like neighbours, making it impossible not to get caught up in the atmosphere before curtain up. Which is quite apt as I was there to review \u2018Curtain Up\u2019 \u2013 a comedy from the pen of the talented Peter Quilter.<\/p>\n
\u2018Curtain up\u2019 is an \u2018ageless\u2019 comedy and a community theatre favourite which has amused audiences now for twenty odd years. It has an all-female cast and much of the wit in the writing never fails to ring bells in thespian ears as \u2018we\u2019ve all been there\u2019 situations.<\/p>\n
The plot concerns five women who have been left equal shares in a disused old theatre via the will of a prankster called \u2018Michael\u2019, who\u00a0\u2013 though deceased\u00a0\u2013\u00a0still seems to be enjoying himself from beyond the grave. Four of the ladies were related to him and the fifth was his secretary \u2013 what sport to make these unlikely bedfellows work as a team if they want to make a success of their legacy.<\/p>\n
The play is set entirely in the inherited theatre, starting in the dusty foyer which is strewn with old newspapers and cluttered with books and abandoned theatrical bric-a-brac.\u00a0\u00a0Here we meet Michael\u2019s wallflower daughter Theresa (innocence well captured by Natalie Forbes-Moore) pouring out some ancient cup-a-soup she\u2019s found in a cupboard in the green room for a meeting of the new owners. That includes her Mum and Michael\u2019s divorced first wife Pam (a touch of the \u2018hard-done-by-me\u2019 Nora Battie\u2019s from Sue Jones), Michael\u2019s mother Betty (some great granny humour from Samantha Gessey), Michael\u2019s second wife Jackie (a bubbly Rebecca Ward) and finally his punk secretary Sharon (whacky and warm outing from Elisabeth Julian).<\/p>\n
After discussing what to do with the theatre, the women decide that rather than sell it they will try and bring it back to life. They try various schemes to raise funds which don\u2019t do much, so they plan a big concert featuring local talent and a freebee star to top the bill. They amazingly manage to get Liza Minnelli, whose poster is still up in the foyer from when she performed at the theatre in its hay day. Sadly, their plans come tumbling down when Minnelli cancels on the night of the concert due to a lost voice. Rather than cancel though they decide to fake it \u2013 and that\u2019s where the show turns from a comedy to a full-on farce.<\/p>\n
Director Sandra Bird achieves a good overall pace in her production but the bevy of blackouts between scenes slows things down far too much. Much better to have left the lights up and let us enjoy watching the changes \u2013 it is after all a play about \u2018behind-the-scenes\u2019 in a theatre. Remember \u2013 seconds in darkness seems like minutes to an audience.<\/p>\n
In addition to playing Theresa, Natalie Forbes-Moore also choreographed the dance sections including a glitzy walkdown which brought a\u00a0joyous end to the evening.<\/p>\n
Oldbury REP used this Gala evening to launch their new season \u2013 it looks an exciting programme ahead so if you don\u2019t know it, give this little gem of a theatre with its comfortable auditorium, nice bar and friendly faces a try.<\/p>\n