The Drama Continues - National Drama Festival Day Two.

MIM by Mark Yeates, performed by Lucan Drama. Photo courtesy of National Drama Festivals Association

The National Drama Festival runs at the Albany Theatre until the afternoon of Sunday 21 July, followed by the presentation of awards.

Review by Alison Manning.

On Day 2 of the National Drama Festival at the Albany Theatre in Coventry, we were unable to review the afternoon session, but those that could make it were treated to a performance of MIM by Mark Yeates and performed by Lucan Drama, as well as an original play A Wake written by and featuring Lee Flewitt, performed by Alderney Theatre Group, all the way from the Channel Islands.

A Wake by Lee Flewitt performed by Alderney Theatre Group. Photo courtesy of National Drama Festivals Association

 On Friday evening, there were three very different but equally entertaining comedies. The first of these, Babysitting Calvin by John H Newmeir was performed by The Service Players. This play is based on the curious premise that, till they turn one, or utter their first words (whichever comes first) babies can remember their past lives. Once you have accepted this, the scene is set for a comic performance.

The play opens with Katie, ten month old Calvin's single mum, preparing to go out for an evening without him for the first time, with her friend Donna. The set is covered in convincing baby clutter which Katie, played credibly by Kelly Firth, tries to clear, whilst simultaneously juggling running a bath and dealing with persistent phone calls from her mum.

Babysitting Calvin by John H Newmeir, performed by The Service Players. Photo courtesy of National Drama Festivals Association

The twist comes when Laura the babysitter turns up and Calvin recognises her as his wife from his former life. She is accompanied by "friend" Bob, who has his seductive sights set on Laura and doesn't care for babies. Calvin sets out to wreak disruption.

This piece features a lot of physical comedy, partly stemming from the fact that a ten month old baby is played by a grown, full-sized, stubbled male. Calvin's humorous asides to the audience as he creates his plans, whilst refusing to speak in ‘real’ life, also add to the comedy. Further comedy emerges from comments about how much he's grown, to Laura's insistence that Bob gives Calvin a ""horsey ride" on his back. Overall, it was a fun production with good characterisation, excellent use of comedic pace verging on farce.

Friends Help You Move by John Ward, performed by the Geneva English Drama Society. Photo courtesy of National Drama Festivals Association.

The second play of the evening, Friends Help You Move, was written by and starring John Ward, performed by the Geneva English Drama Society. This play opens with two men, John Ward as Nally and Daire O’Doherty as Whacker, sitting round a table chatting and drinking bottled beer. It quickly emerges that they are two incompetent minor criminals- one of them has just stolen from his local fish and chip shop where they know him, rather than going to one further afield where he would avoid recognition. They want to get on in the criminal world and have plans for a heist but decide to try and enlist the help of a higher up local gangster to complete the undertaking. Things don’t go quite according to plan after the master criminal ‘really annoys’ Whacker and they quickly find themselves out of their depth, deciding which of their limited options would be best and which they have the courage to carry out.

The original script sparkles with wit and dark humour, with every line entertaining and amusing. The humour comes from the understated, the unexpected, their convincing comedic ignorance, and the later correction of this, comedic repetition, the impeccable timing, and the bizarre, such as their discussion of the renowned gangster’s attack on someone with a yam. The characters are entertaining, whilst avoiding stereotypes. Nally and Whacker’s simple repeated “Alright”s echo each other in believable banter. As the plot twists and twists again, the tension builds but the dark comedy suffuses all.

Gilly's Gem by Sandy Taylor, performed by Woolstore Theatre Company. Photo courtesy of National Drama Festivals Association.

The final play of the evening was a more gentle comedy, Gilly’s Gem by Sandy Taylor, performed by Woolstore Theatre Company. This time the scene opens with two domestics and best friends Milly (Jenny Johnson) and Peggy (Marilyn Latcham) cosily gossiping with glasses of illicit gin on Milly’s absent employer’s chaise longue before ‘Madam’s’ unexpected reappearance sends them hurtling back to their household tasks.

Despite their differences, both in the things they like and their status, there is a certain level of fondness between Milly and her employer, Gilly, who secretly knows about and tolerates the gin pilfering. So Milly is left in a quandary when she discovers seemingly naïve Gilly may be in danger of falling victim to her new ‘friend’ Toby who is apparently a charming American but in reality could be a conning chancer from down the market.

A further character is Gilly’s sister Anna, whose character is instantly identifiable through her extravagant orange outfit and swathe of designer shopping bags. Comic moments are interspersed throughout this drama, such as Gilly’s relaying of Milly’s messages to Anna and Anna’s to Milly, though they are all in a line. Others include Milly’s comic curved trotting run from the kitchen to the door every time the doorbell rings, and the fortune telling episode where Peggy impersonates a fortune teller in an attempt to convey the truth to Gilly. There is one occasionally alluded to unaddressed mystery surrounding the fate of Gilly’s first husband, Cyril, who went missing without trace on a mountain hike, with only one boot of his ever found, though Milly is secretly convinced that this boot was a different colour to the ones he was wearing. Is it possible that “little yellow foot” invoked by Peggy in her fake fortune teller role could be a further allusion to this unexplained mystery? This ambiguity adds an extra depth to this charming play.

The National Drama Festival, featuring the ‘Cream of amateur theatre’ continues at the Albany Theatre, Coventry, until Sunday. Although all the productions are amateur, they have already won awards and groups have converged on the Albany Theatre from all over the British Isles and beyond. There is a chance to see more plays at the Festival at the Albany Theatre on Saturday 20 July at 2pm and 7pm, finishing off with a final session at 1pm on Sunday immediately followed by the awards.

Read more about the National Drama Festival: https://ndfa.co.uk/national-drama-festival and find out how to get tickets: https://www.albanytheatre.co.uk/whats-on/drama/