| CAST: |
|
|
Danny.............................
|
JAMES
CUTHBERT
|
|
Alan................................
|
KEVIN
HUGHES
|
|
Kath................................
|
HEIDI
SEMPLE
|
|
Claire..............................
|
CALLI
ROBERTSON-DUPONT
|
|
Dawn..............................
|
EMMA
HEADLAND
|
|
Gary...............................
|
ANDREW
UPTON
|
|
Simon.............................
|
ANTHONY
CARD
|
|
Sarah..............................
|
CHARLOTTE
NICKSON
|
| Joyce.............................. |
GISELE
RAWLINS |
| Velma............................. |
JULIE
JORDAN |
| Gwen.............................. |
TRACEY
LOMAX |
| Seamus........................... |
MARTIN
RAWDING |
| Tara................................ |
AMY
JONES |
|
'Playing Away' was
sponsored by and in association with:
The following
review for 'Playing Away' has been submitted by our NODA
Eastern Area rep Michael Williamson for the Spring 2008 edition
of 'NODA Eastern Area News':
"HATS
is an up-and-coming young society working on the edge of
Peterborough and their choice of this play proves that they are not
afraid of a challenge. ‘Playing Away’ is a well observed, modern
comedy with some serious issues at the heart of it and, for it to
succeed well, the audience needs to believe in the reality of all
the characters. Basic reality was established by the transfer of the
action to Peterborough itself and the detailed set presented a very
recognisable public bar. There was a little unevenness in the
presentation of some of the ‘regulars’ but, overall, we were
introduced to a sympathetic, happy-go-lucky group who all added
considerably to the fun of the piece from the local Casanova to the
visiting mother-in-law. Particularly strong performances here from
Giselle Rawlins as Joyce, Calli Robertson-Dupont as Claire, Andrew
Upton in the difficult role of Gary and Amy Jones as a perfect Tara.
As the vitriolic Velma, the cleaner with the heart of gold, Julie
Jordan was outstanding. The main strength of the piece, however,
rested with the portrayal of landlord Alan and landlady Kath. Both
Kevin Hughes and Heidi Semple are to be congratulated on two
particularly fine performances that were both straightforward and
low key, but all the better for that. Each made a strong connection
with the audience and were totally believable in all their scenes. I
look forward to HATS’ next production".
The Mayor of
Peterborough, Marion Todd, attended the show and told the Peterborough
Evening Telegraph:
"It
was excellent, a really good comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed the play,
and it was very professional, and well thought out. It is nice to
see things like an amateur theatre society running in Hampton. It is
lovely to see communities coming together like Hampton is. Hampton
is still very new, and there is a lot of diversity, but it is
clearly a strong community."
'What
Peterborough' magazine wrote in their November 2007 issue:
"Hampton
Amateur Dramatics Society (HATS) is a comedy drama group and was
formed by local people with the natural talent and ambition to
perform. They invited WhatPeterborough to see their latest show
'Playing Away'. Austin Hall in Yaxley was full to the brim, a sea of
anticipating faces eagerly awaited the opening of the curtains and
we were not disappointed. The stage was fantastic, the set
transformed it into a pub, realistic from the drinks and beer mats
to the wallpaper. The fictional Peterborough pub, the Frog and Duck
was the main backdrop for the scenes, with the landlord Alan (Kevin
Hughes) and his wife Kath (Heidi Semple) playing the main roles in
the production. A darts competition, an unexpected pregnancy, an
interfering mother-in-law and various hilarious characters all
created a great night of comedy. With various costume changes the
actors and actresses put on an excellent performance throughout the
show, and the dramatic moments had us on the edge of our seats! As
the final scene came to a close, the crowd broke out into a very
loud applause, everyone had thoroughly enjoyed the
evening".
