Sparks fly in farce with serious side

A FAMILY feud develops between brothers Kenneth and Gareth in the Falcon Players' latest production, A Night on the Tiles, staged at Stanford Hall Theatre last week.

Written by Frank Vickery, author of One o'Clock From the House, the play takes place in the backyard of a family's terraced house, and concerns the marriage of Gareth, played by Neil Griffiths, to three months pregnant Shirley, played by Rebecca Bridges.

Although Shirley marries Gareth we learn she is also irresistibly attracted to Gareth's elder brother, Kenneth played by Chris Marlow, and that he is quite possibly the father of her unborn child.

With a scenario such as this, sparks must surely start to fly and so they did in this comedy, which hops back and forth from the farcical to the downright serious.

Chris Marlow and Neil Griffiths both gave strong performances as the two brothers, Kenneth and Gareth, and Rebecca Bridges was very convincing as the newly-wed mum-to-be torn between two lovers.

Other members of the family comprised the two your men's mother, Doris played to good effect by Jill Pritchard, and Reg, their father, played delightfully by Roy Emmett. Bill Pritchard was highly amusing as their forgetful granded who spend the entire three acts of the play trying to decide which brother was actually married to Shirley.

Some of the funniest lines in the play undoubtedly went to Mrs. Morris, the family's neighbour, played marvellously by Patricia Kirton.

A Night on the Tiles marks the successful debut of Norman Hockley as producer for the Falcon Players. The eternal triangle which forms the basis of this comedy was well received by the audience and must surely boost Mr. Hockley's confidence to direct further productions for the Players.

The Falcon Players can next be seen in the farce, See How They Run, by Philip King, from October 10 to 13

- C.J.P.