Caravan

Joy Sweeney calls on her memories of the movie The Long, Long Trailer and an early production of Caravan (it was first produced by The Ensemble Theatre in 1983) to explain her fascination with caravans – even though she has never been on a caravan holiday! But obviously, the play struck a chord.

“I don’t remember a lot of detail, I just remember laughing. It wasn’t deep, it wasn’t meaningful, but it was funny, really funny.” However, it was something more than just the comedy that took Sweeney back to the script – “I found a huge connection to the play. I now know that it’s the relationship between six friends that made it so relevant”.

That relationship – and the inter-relationships that ensue – are the crux of the play, but the real comedy is that they occur within the confines of a 3-bed caravan built onto a theatre stage. Sweeney and co-designer Alan Cunningham have come up with a great set that brings the caravan – and the play – into a contemporary setting. The caravan sits snugly on the stage. The door is upstage; the down stage wall is cut away to allow the audience into the action. By bringing the cast in from the auditorium, they have been able to use nearly the whole stage for the caravan. Jauntily decorated in white and shades of aqua and turquoise, and containing three beds, a table, a bench seat and bar fridge, it is, actually, the right size for a small caravan, with the suggestion of an annex upstage.

It is also the perfect size for a family of four – but definitely a little cramped for six adults, three of them quite tall! And that determines much of the comedy – especially a recurring gag, which I’m certainly not going to give away!

Sweeney has capitalised on that gag, and the implausibility of the whole scenario, by accentuating the almost farcical nature of the comedy and the many one-liners in the dialogue/repartee. She and her cast have pushed the pace and humour, bringing it amusingly into the 21st century – and making it a play that audiences will thoroughly enjoy!

Vanessa Merewether, as Penny, sets the scene in the first moments of the play. Penny’s a worrier, a little strung up about the whole situation, but determined to make it work. Merewether finds this by resorting to higher pitches and placatory tones, especially when dealing with her over-reactive husband, Parkes. She sustains this level of controlled nervous energy for the whole production until she finally ‘loses it’ and the real Penny takes control!

Parkes, played by Martin Maling, is a typical camper with attitude! He’s caravan-proud and keen to impress his friends. He’s annoyed about losing his ‘usual space’ and continuously harps about it. Maling emphasises this with a lot of shouting, thrusting and chin-jutting, adding to the comedy and fuelling Penny’s anxiety.

David Allsopp and Karen Pattinson play their fiends Rodney and Monica. Both tall, their presence exaggerates the confined space of the caravan and leads to some extra gags. Allsopp plays up Rodney’s apparent ‘restraint’, while pandering to Monica’s (more apparent) dominance in their relationship.

Pattinson makes the most of the character that McDonald’s lines suggest – that is, though a good friend to Penny, she is direct, controlling, demanding. But Pattinson also uses her stature – especially her long legs – to accentuate the lack of space. She has good comedic timing and uses it effectively to ‘up’ the comedy, and the pace and energy.

Peter O’Sullivan plays Pierce, their lecherous bachelor friend who has decided to bring along his latest “squeeze”, Gwendolyn, in her twenties and fresh out of three years in an ashram in India. Obviously this presents even more opportunities for banter and raillery. Chelsea Cunningham underplays Gwendolyn beautifully, especially in one of the final scenes.

To this mix, add alcohol, arguments over who will sleep in the annex, six days of torrential rain, and you have a situation that becomes edgier and more amusing as the plot – and several infidelities – are exposed.

Sweeney and her creative cast and crew have clearly worked hard and happily to make this production one that the Theatre on Chester audiences will enjoy and remember, just as Sweeney herself – and this reviewer – remember that very first production thirty three years ago.

Carol Wimmer