THEATRE REVIEW

‘DAY OF RECKONING’

by Pam Valentine

What could be more innocent than a group of ladies planning a village fete somewhere in rural England? According to Pam Valentine, there’s more to it than that. As one local resident puts it:

“There are things going on in this parish

That would make a saint turn up his toes.”

Lexden Parish Players took us through a series of what could have been highly contentious issues with a delicacy and sensitivity that did them credit. From the adulterous vicar (Brian Moore) to the murdering carer (Jan Pooley), the human frailty of each character was cleverly drawn out, leaving the audience with food for thought.

Despite the issues raised, the evening was entertaining because the props, set, lighting, make up, noises off and consistency in accents made this a good all round performance. Good casting by director Steve Whiteman allowed the characters to be well defined. Was that raddled 83 year old really our elegant Pauline Jarvis? Is Maggie Whiteman always so plummy?

For those of you who have never attended one of these productions and want an enjoyable evening of live theatre, why not come along next time? Classic lines like:

“I shall never laugh at Morris Dancers again,”

And

“Charismatic Christianity? The people won’t like it”

may strike a few chords within our own community but there, hopefully, the similarity ends. Having said that, will PCC meetings ever be quite the same again?

Rosemary Elden