Continental Quilt

Continental Quilt
By Joan Greening. Tea Tree Players. Tea Tree Players Theatre, Surrey Downs (SA). May 24 – June 2, 2018

Continental Quilt is like a game of Happy Families, except these families are not so happy!

Set in the 80s, Mike is anticipating an erotic evening with his new girlfriend.  His attempts to bed her are hindered by the arrival of his brother/mother/sister-in-law/father/previous girlfriend and neighbours.

A classic door farce requires split second timing and lots of pace. This production had both in bucket loads. There was barely a silent moment on stage with doors opening and closing and characters changing rooms faster than their clothes.

Unfortunately, one of the main doors decided to come off its hinges on opening night. However, this only added to the hilarity and enjoyment of the piece.

First time director Lachlan Blackwell certainly chose an ambitious farce as his debut and to a very large extent he has been successful. The blocking is logical, the pace is cracking and the characterisation well developed. There are some subtleties of delivery lacking at times but this could be due to the youth and inexperience of some of the cast.

Tea Tree Players are known for their box sets, with attention to detail, and this set is no exception. A clean blue and white, no nonsense design ensures free movement of the ten performers. As always, the set is meticulously dressed and lit.

Ben Forster’s Michael Feather channels Basil Fawlty in many ways-his height, mannerisms and voice. Being the central character, he is the glue that holds the play together, perpetually having to invent solutions to endless problems. After a hesitant start Forster quickly warmed up and had the audience laughing.

Russel Byrne has had the difficult task of stepping in with three weeks of rehearsals left. His ability to learn the lines is to be commended (not an easy task). When he relaxes into the role his lines should come more naturally.

Hannah Doyle, Hannah Dight and Kristyn Barnes as the ‘girlfriends’ are all convincing in their roles and their scenes with the central characters and together work well.

Danni Fulcher and Mike Phillips as Michael Feathers’ mother and father provide many of the laughs of the show. Fulcher’s mother channels Mrs Slocombe from Are You Being Served and commands attention in all her scenes. A little light and shade in her vocal patterns would help her round out an impressive character. Mike Phillips is an old hand at playing hen -pecked husbands and does it with ease, underplaying the comedy beautifully and hitting every laugh.

Susie Daniel’s Marion Feather (Russell’s wife) leaves you wondering whether she wants to stay with her husband or dip her toe into other waters.

Rhi Shapcott and Kieren Drost are the love-struck Priscilla Plankton and Humbert Carpington who would love to be married, but just have no idea how. Shapcott’s Priscilla is geeky, awkward (in the best way) and waiting for love to bloom. Her transformation scene to Sandy from Grease is hysterical. Drost’s obsession with his pet beetle kept in a matchbox provides one of the funniest scenes in the show, complete with sexual double entendres and the escape of his beetle into another character’s underclothes. His dry approach to the role works effectively and ensures an enthusiastic audience reception.

There are some traditions for delivering farce missing at times in this production, but as mentioned above, the cast is young. This may settle as the show progresses.

All in all, Continental Quilt is an entertaining night out that will have you thinking twice before attempting a clandestine affair.

Barry Hill

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