Pardon Me Prime Minister October 2007
Pardon me, Prime Minister
10th, 11th, 12th, 13th October 2007
A Farce By Edward Taylor and John Graham
We begin in the Prime Ministers Study at Number Ten Downing Street. The Prime Minister the Rt Hon George Venables is joined by his Private Secretary Rodney Campbell. They are preparing their Budget where they aim to stampout casinos, strip clubs and bingo halls (”those temples of sin”) by taxing them all out of existence. When out of nowhere an attractive blonde stranger appears (Shirley Springer) who starts removing her clothing in the PM’s office. From here on we see a catalogue of mistaken identities, misunderstandings and more ladies in their underwear. Will the PM be able to straighten this mess out?
Directed by Christine Boardman
Prime Minister. Rt Hon George Venables - Phill Ratcliffe
Rodney Campbell pps - Alun Lewis
Rt Hon Hector Cramond. (Chancellor) - Mark Taylor
Man - Ken Proctor
Sybil Venables - Rosemary Powell
Miss Frobisher - Ann Witter
Shirley Springer - Natalie Smith
Dora Springer - Julie Lee
Jane Rotherbrook - Jenny Mellor
The production team
Director - Christine Boardman
Set Design & Construction - Allan Witter, Alun Lewis and Laurence Harrison
Stage Manager - Ian McLoughlin
Continuity - Chris Burke
Co-ordinaor - Alan Witter Props - Ken Proctor
Lighting - Ian Wright
Sound - Ian Wright & Phil Cooper
Publicity - David McManus & Group Members
Poster Design - Penny Kirby
Programme - Group Members
House Management - Group members
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Read the review >>
Making theatre that connects with truly connects with the popular audience is a problem for practitioners, professional and amateur alike. A recently-formed fringe company calling themselves 2B Theatre boast the mission statement, “Mainstream theatre for mainstream audiences”, and thus perform obscure Stephen Dinsdale plays to small audiences. Finding scripts which are topical, thought-provoking and generate bums on seats is theatre’s biggest conundrum.
It is this conundrum which might explain Culcheth Players decision revive Edward Taylor and John Graham’s 1979 political farce, Pardon Me, Prime Minister. The fact that the play focuses on a neurotic and repressed Scottish Chancellor’s attempt to wrestle power off a dithering and ineffective Prime Minister does give it an element of topicality. However, even at its most sordid moments this farce retains a genteel innocence which is very much of the 1970s. It is play which belongs to an era in which politicians were seen as weak-willed, silver-haired men, and women were there to take their clothes off.
The very long first forty-five minutes were not promising, as plot lines were with laboriously established with little in the way of comic relief. Yet it must be stressed this flaw lay in Taylor and Graham’s writing, not in the performances or direction.
It was a little to my surprise that Culcheth Players were able to turn this round in the remains of the performance and actually make Pardon Me, Prime Minister work. Christine Boardman’s direction gave this aged farce sufficient energy to provide the audience with an entertaining evening.
There were some memorable performances. Mark Taylor and Alun Lewis both gave fine comic performances as Chancellor and Parliamentary Private Secretary, respectively. Special mention should be given to Philip Ratcliffe who held the show together most effectively in his role as Prime Minister (which appeared a curious hybrid of John Major and Jack Straw).
The stage-design and wardrobe team should also take much credit for establishing a 1970s feel to the mise-en-scene, although Alun Lewis’s waistcoat and bowtie combination seemed a little more Bingo Caller than Parliamentary Private Secretary.
Hence, all in all, Pardon Me Prime Minister proved yet another successful production for Culcheth Players.
Mike Mallett
