Guaranteed laughter from the Rose Theatre
WHAT’S better than a fun and witty play? Two fun and witty plays!
On April 27, 28, and 30, the Rose Theatre in Limassol will be offering just this as their Spring Production Theatre Programme. In one night, you can watch both A.P Herbert’s Two Gentlemen of Soho, and Christopher Fry’s A Phoenix Too Frequent.
Two Gentlemen of Soho was written by Sir A.P Herbert, an English playwright, poet, and politician. He radically amended English divorce policies and, perhaps more important to us, wrote great plays such as Riverside Night in 1926, comic operas, such as Bless the Bride in 1947, and novels, such as The Secret Battle in 1919 and Holy Deadlock in 1934. All his success in different fields led to his being knighted in 1945. He is known for his intelligent almost satirical works, of which Two Gentlemen of Soho is a perfect example.
In this play, the audience is introduced to the nightlife of the 1920s, where the sale of alcohol is illegal after 10pm, women where flapper dresses, and the music is hoppin’. In contrast to this, the plays dialogue comes out in Shakespearean blank verse, so while the play is set in a London nightclub, the dialogue is completely different. Director Derek Chapman describes the play as a “double take of setting and language” – what you see and what you hear come from completely different centuries. Part of the comedy, Chapman adds, comes from the fact the actors “play it big”, almost as they would in a pantomime, and it is therefore, “very dramatic”. As the characters spy on each other, betray each other, fall in love with each other, the blank verse, old costumes, and overreactions add to the comedy and drama to create a hilarious sequence of events.
Putting the play together was “enormous fun” for the cast, who hope the audience will enjoy it as much as they have. Mary Chapman, who plays the posh Duchess of Canterbury, believes although her character was a little difficult to capture, it should really make the audience laugh. If she doesn’t get you giggling, the terrible coincidences that take place when a “man about town” enters will. Chapman’s husband, who is also the director, will be playing this man about town who enters the nightclub with his young girlfriend who just so happens to be the daughter of the Duchess. This Duchess is more than a bit miffed when she finds out that her daughter is in the same nightclub as her. To add to the chaos, the protagonist, Police inspector Plum, played by Nick Andronikou, is a little overly friendly with the duchess, something that causes much suspicion throughout the play.
Andronikou has been with the Rose Theatre for 12 years now and has been in love with theatre since the age of seven. He has played leading roles, such as Othello, at Curium in Shakespearean productions for charity, and hopes that they will “get a good audience that can really enjoy the play”.
If you aren’t confused already, you will be with the complete change of pace provided by Christopher Fry’s A Phoenix Too Frequent. This is a play that the theatre describes as “a romantic comedy of love lost and love discovered”. Quite contrary to its predecessor it is set in ancient Rome. Fry was one of the most celebrated playwrights of the mid-20th century and, like Herbert, is known for his great humour and lyric style.
This play was written more recently than Two Gentlemen of Soho, but its emphasis on love is just as vital. It focuses on a young widow who is in the tomb of her dead husband. Accompanied by her servant, she is weeping and wailing her little heart out, until a soldier unexpectedly drops in and everything changes dramatically.
Malcom Mowbray, who has been directing for 30 years in both Cyprus and the UK, directs this performance. He says although this play is as sharp as Fry’s other works, it is slightly unusual in that it is “naughty”.
Although the team have had a “very short time” to put the play together, “the actors have been working very hard,” says Mowbray. His “delightful” cast are made up of an Englishman, a young Greek Cypriot and a Russian, and they all agree that their “object is to amuse”. Mowbray hopes that they can “do the play justice”. It’s up to you to find out if they live up to their pledge.
Rose Theatre Spring Production
Two Gentlemen of Soho and A Phoenix Too Frequent performed by the Rose Theatre. April 27, 28, 30. American Academy, Makarios Ave, Limassol. 8pm. £3-5. Tel: 25-315567.
