19/06/2024
Noda report in by Adam Calvert on The Trinity . A fair and complementary report. Cheers.
On Saturday 15th June I was delighted to be invited to attend Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish Centre in Lytham St Annes to see ‘The Trinity’, a new play written by Leo Appleton and Rob Fearn. Originally conceived as three one-act plays, the piece is centred around the characters of Jim and Byron, two friends entering a local talent competition with their Morecambe and Wise tribute act. Two other sub-plots intersect with this narrative, as we see a collection of scenes play out in the local church, Jim’s cafe and parishioner Lawrence’s corner shop. A vibrant range of characters discuss life’s joys and challenges - as well as Jim and Byron’s chances of winning the talent competition with their questionable take on two of the North West’s best loved comedians.
As I watched ‘The Trinity’ unfold, I was taken back to a specific set of memories from my own life; namely cosy Sunday evenings enjoying the classic British sitcoms with my dad. The play had a warmth and a rhythm which was immediately familiar to me, and judging by the sound of laughter ringing around the auditorium, my fellow audience members too. The comedy was gentle, familiar, and most welcome! I get the sense that Appleton and Fearn had a clear idea of who their audience was and what they wanted to see, and then delivered just that (to their credit).
On the whole, the cast gave a very good account of themselves. In the central roles of Jim and Byron, John Gill and Paul Coffey gave us a strong and entertaining partnership. On occasion, their vocal projection slipped, leading to a handful of lost lines. However, they delivered energy, positivity and comedy timing in spades. Steve Hook gave an assured and playful performance as Lawrence, corner shop owner and church gossip, often playing against Keith Rogers’ Ted and Mia Barlow’s Pat. Both actors displayed a flair for comedy timing but occasionally rushed lines and dropped volume to a point which made some dialogue difficult to fully appreciate.
Suzi McQuiggan’s character, Jeanie, put me in mind of any number of famous Northern matriarchs of stage and screen, which is most definitely a compliment! She breathed life into all of her scenes and showed an intuitive instinct for knowing exactly when to deliver a high-quality punchline or withering glare.
There were no noticeably weak performance from any member of this large ensemble, and credit must be given to the remaining cast members - Christine Rouse, Andy Rouse, Stephanie Heney, Carolyn Clapham, Rose Hayworth, Theresa Donnelly, Josh Coffey, Jeanette Appleton, Alison Thornton and co-writer, Leo Appleton, in a cameo role as an overwhelmed ventriloquist.
On the production side of things, credit must be given to Leo Appleton and Rob Fearn for their well-written and amusing script. They displayed a keen understanding of what would make their audience laugh and how to extract good value from their cast. I would have liked to have seen some of the characters developed further (especially the spoon-playing, walking calamity, Muriel) but a lot of thought had clearly gone into presenting a realistic and familiar cast of characters, whose stories crossed over in an interesting and nuanced manner. For me, the standout scene was one in which a group of local women travelled to the afore-mentioned talent show on a coach. The staging was simple yet inventive and the format gave each of the performers their moment to shine, and draw hearty laughter from the audience.
Director Leo Appleton had obviously drilled his performers well, and there was a comfortable sense of naturalism between the ensemble. To put it simply, they felt like they could well be real people and old friends - a tick in the writers’ markbook!
Lighting by Annie Follett was an unsung hero of the piece, and she is to be commended for her eye for detail. Locations were subtly suggested by lighting changes, with each scene having its own discernable colour palette. Warm oranges and yellows, paired with gobos to suggest stained glass windows, meant that the scenes set in the church felt suitably ecclesiastical and comfortingly familiar.
Scenes were punctuated by nostalgic and appropriate music choices, as well as snippets of Morecambe and Wise themself, delivering some of their best known routines. Sound by Phil Thomas was smooth and well-managed, with no obvious slip-ups.
Unfortunately for the pacing of the production, some transitions were a little on the slow side and the audience were left waiting. Had the cast moved some items as they left the stage, it would have reduced the workload of the stage crew and the amount of time that the audience was waiting for the next scene. A small criticism, when taking into consideration the overall experience of the evening!
‘The Trinity’ is a play which many amateur societies could produce to great effect, I think. The writing is nostalgic without being stale, funny without trying too hard and heart-warming without relying on too many cliches. The running theme of finding romance in the twilight years was a lovely touch and made me smile many times. This is a slice of light-hearted naturalism in the traditional sense and it was wonderful to see the assembled audience fully buy into the play. Feedback from individuals I spoke to during the interval was overwhelmingly positive and I found myself agreeing with much of it.
Huge thanks to everyone at Our Lady Star of the Sea Operatic and Dramatic Society for their warm welcome, which certainly made my very first NODA visit an enjoyable one. I look forward to returning to see them in panto season and wish them all the very best in their next project.
