Review by Phyl Romeril - Wanstead and Woodford Guardian
Ilford Recorder - 24 November 2005
Review by Phyl Romeril
THIS is a comedy with a tinge of sadness and an occasional whiff of cruelty.
Bernie Pavely and Dave Bennett, masters of comedy, were ideally matched and as versatile mature actors they grasped the right emotional level in order to draw fun and laughter from the various situations in which they found themselves.
The play centres around an odd relationship which emerges between two mature students studying history and a lot more besides at university.
Bernie Paveley (Rick) who was raised to be truthful, honest and law-abiding, had received a number of losses and setbacks in the space of a few months and was forced to make a number of changes to his lifestyle.
The fun in this comedy was when he made efforts to fit in with a new friend who had different problems and who was a bad influence.
It fell to Dave Bennett (Noel) to keep the comedy in serious mode. The two batted and bowled with a continuity that was quite exceptional.
Di Boyer was a little low key in her role as Maxine but Pam Macdonald gave a clear portraiture of the twins Helen and Rachel.
The unexpected revelation of the setting in the Indian restaurant was a clever piece of stagecraft with a bonus which featured Amerdeep Johal as the restaurant owner.
The two major characters used the amusing dialogue and incidents with a clever balance which revolutionised their lives and brought them home to rest happy ever after.
This WOADS production was directed by John Lowe assisted by an enthusiastic stage management.