March 18, 2009
An Evening At The Music Hall
This part of Hertfordshire has a fine tradition of Old Time Music Hall being put on by various village amateur dramatic societies and recently I was very pleased to attend a Pirton Players production of such entertainment.
The show was conceived, cast, rehearsed and performed in a very short space of time, yet this was in no way apparent on the night, each and every act showing a high level of preparation, professionalism, pace and that essential ingredient, personal enthusiasm. I understand there was no shortage of willing volunteers to participate in this show which was reflected by the relatively large cast. This gave an advantage however, in that cast members only had to concentrate on one or two items, a shrewd move on the part of a Director with little time.
The programme of items gave us a perfect mix of song and drama, which exercised our full range of sentiments, being from very poignant to very funny we enjoyed fine examples of solos, duets, trios, chorus, monologue and melodramas. The show appealed to all ages and it was particularly gratifying to see and hear numbers of those often "oh so cynical" teenagers laughing openly and without inhibition at the same acts that amused audiences more than one hundred years ago.
There were many fine individual performances but I hesitate to name Names as a) this was a true team performance and b) not being from Pirton, I don't know who was who! All involved should be congratulated from the bar and kitchen staff, to those responsible for sound, lighting and costumes, to the orchestra, to the cast and to the production and direction teams.
There is one exception to the rule however; I must congratulate the Chairman for the evening, Mr Ed Picken. This is a critical role and the nature of his relationships with both the audience and the cast was commendable. His demeanour was affable, his timing perfect and his jokes were awful! What more could you want?
All in all, an exceedingly enjoyable evening. Well done Pirton and please carry on the tradition. [Review by Tony Shears]
Pirton Players Present
AN EVENING AT THE MUSIC HALL
Introduced by Your Chairman,The man who put the “ed” in Eisteddfod
MR. EDWARD PICKEN
TWO MAGNIFICENT MELODRAMAS
THE TRAM TRACK TRAGEDY
by Peter and Patricia Ariss
THE LIGHTHOUSE-KEEPERS
DAUGHTER
The evenings entertainment will be presented in two halves and an interval, during which a supper of the finest locally produced Bangers 'n Mash will be served for the refreshment of the inner Lady and Gentleman. Due to the highly moving nature of some of the performances “Health & Safety” has insisted that the bar remains open throughout the proceedings.
Please note that due to the strictures of the pervading regulation only food and drink purchased on the premises may be consumed in the auditorium. Whistling, shouting, standing on the seats and other unmentionable excesses are most positively prohibited.
Director - Anton Jungreuthmayer
Director - Loretta Concannon
Producer - Janet Tackley
Cast
Artiste - Antonietta Tinney
Artiste - Penny Picken
Artiste - Ann Fausset
Artiste - Helen Hofton
Artiste - John Hayes
Artiste - Peter Donovan
Artiste - Mark Savage
Artiste - Hilda Handscombe
Artiste - Julie Dawson
Artiste - Lorna Sexton
Artiste - Nikki Clark
Artiste - Stella Turner
Artiste - Valmai Guess
Artiste - Dave Tinney
Artiste - Simon Martin
Artiste - Peter Johnson
Artiste - Paul Kerswill
Artiste - Margaret Johnson
Artiste - Graham Gibbs
Artiste - Viv Tyler
Artiste - Michael Tackley
Artiste - Lucinda Rowe
Artiste - Ann Langley
Artiste - Paul Ribbans
Artiste - Fizz Gibbs
Artiste - Jill Rogers
Artiste - Katie Rowe
Artiste - Maxine Shearer
Artiste - Rosie Hamilton-McLeod
Host - Ed Picken
Crew
Director - Anton Jungreuthmayer
Director - Loretta Concannon
Lighting & Pyrotechnics - Stuart Clark
Pianist - Margaret Johnson
Producer - Janet Tackley
Stage Crew - Roy Lancaster
Stage Crew - Peter Tyler
Stage Manager - Val Bryant
