One for the Pot

A rather blustery and wet night swept me to the Arts Theatre in Angas St to see Therry Dramatic Society’s One for the Pot, but somewhat damp and dishevelled spirits were soon lifted by this joyfully silly play.

Like all farces, One for the Pot has a simple plot and the mandatory slamming doors, absolute mayhem, mistaken identities and all-round fun.

Written by master of farce Ray Cooney in 1959, One for the Pot played in London at the Whitehall Theatre for four and a half years. The story should be straightforward- a wealthy man, Jonathan Hardcastle (Brian Godfrey) is trying to find the son of his late business partner who gambled away his estate. He wants to honour him by giving his son £10,000. He places an advertisement in the paper, asking the son to come forward and confirm his identity. It is from this that the ensuing mayhem arises. The day on which Billy Hickory Wood (Ben Todd), the beneficiary, arrives is also the birthday of Hardcastle’s daughter Cynthia (Francesca Zagajewska). Billy arrives at the country estate with Charlie Barnet (Peter Davies), a man posing at his solicitor and who opportunistically sees a chance to benefit from the money being offered to simpleton, Billy. This all sounds like fun, but the story escalates to the absolutely ridiculous when it becomes increasingly obvious that there are more Hickory Woods than previously supposed.

On curtain rise we see a beautifully dressed box set, designed by Paul Cinneididh and Jude Hines. It is the epitome of a 1960’s country house and with lighting by the talented Richard Parkhill, convinces us of the place and era. Costumes by Sandy Faithfull and Gillian Cordell are also evocative of the period and perfect for the characters. My only question in costuming would have been to query why Barnet needed to keep his bowler hat on for the entire show.

Whilst Jude Hines was not the original director of the show, she has done a very impressive job in fashioning a funny, fast-paced play with a cast she herself did not audition. Her ability to draw out the ridiculous in each situation is clever.

The cast overall are excellent. The show naturally revolves around the four (yes, four) Hickory Woods characters, each with different accents and costumes and adeptly played by Ben Todd. He is a tour de force- swapping seemingly effortlessly between characters and accents, being shoved into boxes, cupboards and at one point dressing up as Amy Hardcastle- a riot. Not once does Todd falter in these transitions and one hopes he had his Fitbit on under his costume as I’m certain many steps were covered! He is a master of physical comedy, at times channelling Lou Costello. His repartee with the smarmy solicitor (Peter Davies) is wonderful.

Whilst Peter Davies’ character, Charlie Barnet starts out with the intention of controlling and shaping the situation to his advantage, it becomes more and more evident that the situation is out of everyone’s control. Davies is a born comic with excellent physicality. He plays the role with ease- vacillating between control and panic, the ringmaster attempting to run the circus-and his expressions are priceless. The dance scene is particularly funny, as is his stunned face during the tango scene. A slick performance by a wonderful actor.

David Sinclair plays the role of Jugg, the butler. He too, like Davies, is adept at physical comedy and has excellent timing. He is cheeky and conniving, only giving advice or help in return for a fee. The scenes where Jugg is hiding various items in hilarious places is worth the ticket price alone.

Brian Godfrey plays Jonathan Hardcastle, the suitably confused but affable man who initiates the story. Whilst confined to a wheelchair for most of the show, Godfrey certainly manages to derive some belly laughs from the audience with his quick one-liners. He is complemented well by Maxine Grubel, resplendent in a blue flowing gown, playing his sister Amy. Grubel is a talented character actress who plays the nagging, self-focused Amy very well. Her portrait posing scene is particularly funny.

Francesca Zagajewska is to be congratulated on her first main theatre role. She plays the daughter Cynthia, the typical farce ingenue, quite convincingly. She shows good character development through the play. Her tango dance scene is hilarious.

Ashley Penny is Billy’s somewhat distraught wife, Winnie, who battles through the play trying to understand why her husband is behaving so out of character. She plays the histrionics and drama to great effect.

Simon Lancione is perfectly cast as the art dealer, Clifton Weaver, who hopes to woo Cynthia. He is pratty and annoying- a great character. Greg Janzow too, whilst only having a small role as the lawyer, Arnold Piper, brings fine poise and stage presence. As always, a class act.

Farce requires perfect timing and whilst in a couple of places I felt that the pace dropped on the night I attended, the cast did a brilliant job. It is hard work to maintain perfect focus, speed and physical comedy.

One for the Pot is a very entertaining night at the theatre, and it was evident the audience enjoyed themselves. On leaving, a conversation was overheard which was a credit to Ben Todd in particular: “I could’ve sworn there were four of them!”

Shelley Hampton

* Jude Hines is also a reviewer for Stage Whispers.