ENTERTAINING ANGELS
22nd – 27th October 2012 By Richard Everett Directed by Will Harris
Profound comedy Bardolph is an unworldly vicar. His ghost drifts in and out, intent on discussing the decline in their marriage with his widow, while she prefers to enjoy her new-found freedom from a lifetime of best behaviour by doing and saying exactly as she pleases. Coping with him (or should that be ‘it’?) is bad enough, but then her sister wants to share a secret.
Cast   Crew Grace Eve Manghani   Set Designer Alan Croft Jo Samantha Tuite   Set Construction Alan Croft & Ruth Jennifer Barnett   The Chipstead Sarah Gail Bishop   Players Construction Bardolph Don Hindle   Crew     Stage Manager Jeff Stone     Lighting Ben Gilbert     Sound Design Jeff Stone     Sound Operator Fergus Walling     Props & Set Dressing Pauline Beckley   Furniture Clare Sparshatt   Wardrobe Irena Webster &   Janet Bennett   Prompt Rosalind Heath   Production Managers Margaret &   Ted Ramsdale
Review: By Theo Spring of The Croydon Advertiser
Huge congratulations to Alan Croft and his construction crew for a truly magnificent garden set, complete with a real grass lawn, a charming wooden bridge with a real-water stream running under. Playwright Richard Everett filles his tale of a suddenly widowed vicar’s wife and her life’s, revelations with comdey, great one-liners and emotion. Eve Manghani is the lynch-pin as widow Grace and got well under the skin of the rôle, delivering acerbic comments to her sister and her own daughter; Jennifer Barnett as sister Ruth seemed slightly slow on her lines but gave as good as she got in the sibling battle of words. Samantha Tuite brought daughter Jo to relaistic life, as the peacemaker and for befriending Sarah, the new vicar who needed convincing of her call to this particular church. Due to the indisposition of Jacky Cook, Gail Bishop went on with the book as Sarah, deserving a real accolade for making us forget about the script in her hand. With her considerable acting skills she created just the right comparison between Sarah’s uncertainty and her enthusiasm. The crucial member of the cast is Bardy, the late vicar, seen only by his wife with whom he is able to converse. Donald Hindle made him slightly enigmatic yet with the affability and affection obviously shown during his life. Director Will Harris created a fascinating and thought-provoking play, working with a talented cast who looked so at home in that lovely garden.
COMEDY AT THE COURTYARD
6th – 8th September 2012
Comedy & music Three nights of stand up, music and magic. MC Russ Gregory presents Steve E. Blunder, Andy Storey and Tennyson Hanbury – The Man Who Knows, while Ian Radburn presents an hour of comic songs and funny stories.
ABSURD PERSON SINGULAR
7th – 14th July 2012 By Alan Ayckbourn Directed by Jeff Stone
Dark comedy Sidney’s friends may have been reluctant to invest in his business idea, but they could regret it if he succeeds. And he’s just the man to make sure they do. This commentary on the pursuit of wealth was described by the Daily Telegraph as "simultaneously hilarious and harrowing" and is even more relevant today than at its premiere 40 years ago.
Cast   Crew Sidney Hopcroft Brian Aris   Set Designer Mel Morgan Jane Hopcroft Lauren Milsom   Set Construction The Chipstead Ronald Brewster-   Players Construction   Wright Mel Morgan   Crew Marion Brewster-   Stage Manager Andy Mills   Wright Jan Robinson   Lighting John Leventhall Geoffrey Jackson Mike Strong   Sound Mike Dyson Eva Jackson Meryl Jones   Properties Anne Hopkins &   Anne Thorn   Furniture & Set     Dressing Clare Sparshatt,   Pauline Beckley &   Irena Webster   Wardrobe Anne Franks,   Liz Lockhart-Mure,   Audrey Simpson &   Roz Hayes   Prompt Sue Peerless   Production Managers Mary Morgan &   Anne-Marie Carlile
Review: By Theo Spring of The Croydon Advertiser
Because this is a play which places great demands on the set designer and those involved in its construction, it is given an understandable wide berth by amateur groups. Calling for three completely different kitchens, set in three different houses, Mel Morgan’s set design and his team deserve the highest accolades. Each kitchen had a slightly different layout, different colour co-ordinated units, and even different white goods and a working sink. Full marks, too, to the crew who transformed the kitchens for each of the three Acts. Further praise goes to Mike Dyson for many spot-on sound cues. Three couples inhabit these kitchens on consecutive Christmas Eves 1970 – 1972. Brian Aris and Lauren Milsom are the Hopcrofts. He, desperate to climb the career ladder, she, obsessed with, but happy to do, the cleaning, going out in the pouring rain when their drinks party runs out of tonic. Mel Morgan and Jan Robinson are the Brewster-Wrights. He is at the top of his tree in banking, she is catty and very fond of the bottle. Mike Strong and Meryl Jones are the Jacksons. He a womaniser who comes good, she a developing depressive with suicide on her mind. This strong cast of six really worked to develop their characters, bringing out the nuances of the Ayckbourn script and creating just the right delivery of the poignant and sometimes painful moments. Lauren Milsom stood out as the door-mat Hopcroft wife – comic in her soaking raincoat in her kitchen and triumphant with her party games in the Brewster-Wright’s. Mel Morgan as Brewster-Wright delivered a realistic electric shock in the Jackson’s kitchen, and Meryl Jones as Eva Jackson conveyed all without saying a single word, in her own kitchen. Congratulations to director Jeff Stone for his hard work and attention to detail.
THE CHALK GARDEN
28th May – 2nd June 2012 By Enid Bagnold Directed by Alex Greenslade
Drama mystery "I set fire to things" 16-year-old Laurel brightly announces to her new governess, hired by her grandmother despite a total lack of references. Based on events in her own house on the chalk downs in Sussex, the author invites us to explore the secret world of childhood. Only when The Judge visits is the truth finally unravelled.
Cast   Crew Miss Madrigal Kate Perry   Set Designer Alan Croft Maitland Colin Edgerton   Set Construction The Chipstead Second applicant Anne Thorn   Players Crew Laurel Grace Mander   Stage Manager Nick Gane Third applicant Rosalind Heath   Lighting Ollie Hall, Mrs. St. Maugham Pat Thompsett   Jonathan Laverock & Nurse Margaret Ramsdale   Ben Gilbert Olivia Lesley Parker   Sound Jon Laws & The Judge Warwick Beazley   Gus van Manen   Wardrobe Anne Hopkins &   Irena Webster   Furniture Clare Sparshatt   Properties Anne Thorn,   Jo Hopkins,   Valerie Malik &   Lynn Webb   Set Dressing Pauline Beckley   Prompt Margaret Ramsdale   Production Manager Vicky van Manen
Review: By Theo Spring of The Croydon Advertiser
Written in 1955 by Enid Bagnold of National Velvet fame, the plot is revealed slowly, echoing the staid grandeur of its Sussex manor house setting. Mrs. St. Maugham presides over her young, wayward granddaughter aged 16, her man servant Maitland and her garden planting which are ruled by her (unseen) invalid butler. An advertisement for a companion for the granddaughter causes huge changes in both the people and the garden where chalk-hating plants have been misguidedly introduced to the chalky soil. Great attention to detail evoked the era, with Alan Croft’s excellent set, numerous and relevant props, and costumes in keeping, right down to the shoes. To Pat Thompsett go the laurels as the grandmother, played in Lady Bracknell style and being the same stickler for correctness, controlling her manservant Maitland, so well envisaged by Colin Edgerton. Yet she found a worthy opponent in the enigmatic companion Miss Madrigal to whom Kate Perry brought initial nervousness and insecurity but who bloomed with her knowledge of the garden and human nature. With these three characters so very well portrayed, Grace Mander as granddaughter Laurel added her own sprightly interpretation, interweaving Laurel’s somewhat erratic and controlling emotions between them. The tale really begins to unfurl as ‘Puppy’, in reality a judge and old friend of Mrs. St. Maugham, comes to luncheon. Warwick Beazley made his mark in this small role, as did Lesley Parker as Olivia, Laurel’s mother. Cameo roles came from Anne Thorn and Rosalind Heath as the two other applicants for the companion’s job, and nurse to the butler, Margaret Ramsdale, whose disdainful sniff spoke volumes. A beautifully observed period piece brought intriguingly to life by director Alex Greenslade.
THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES, or 5 Beans for Jack
18th – 21st April 2012 By David Foxton Directed by Ian Brown
Musical Comedy Hilarity abounds along with plenty of audience participation in this merger of two popular pantos. The plot? You’ll have to watch to see how the same tricksters who convince the Emperor his bankrupt state can be salvaged by their magic cloth are also able to con Jack out of his cow in exchange for a handful of beans. But when you realise that the author is an art lecturer whose students included Damien Hirst you’ll appreciate his comment "The bits do fit together."
Cast Principals Tom "Tink" Bell Charlie Mabbutt Aloysius Sly Jevon Clark Cresside Wilhelmina Wily Katie Bignell (alternate performances) Molly Rose (alternate performances) Abigail Bell Isobel Hubner (alternate performances) Fran Loosley (alternate performances) Abacus Mia Meggiolaro (alternate performances) Zoe Kirk (alternate performances) Lord Chamberlain Kate Batchelor Guard Captain Ewan Murphy Emperor Persimmon Ben Jeffreys Empress Petronella Benita Murphy Jack Laurence Read Jack’s Mother Samuel Holland   Male Ensemble Christie Gallagher, Ethan Elsdon (Fashion Model), Louis Forsyth (Attendant) & Edison Fallon (Fashion Model)   Female Ensemble Maria Gallagher, Kayley Herbert, Emily Foster, Edie Nelson, Elodie Guyon-Pelfrene (Attendant) & Aurora Chandler-Honnor   Production Team Musical Director Jacquie Burke Musical Arrangement John Chandler Choreographer Kirsty Hudson Production Manager Simon Kennedy Child Protection Liz Bignell   Backstage Crew Stage Manager Ben Gilbert     Mentor: Nick Gane Set design Ben Gilbert     Mentor: Mel Morgan Set construction The Chipstead Players Set Construction Crew Wardrobe Janet Bennet & Liz Bignell Properties Clair Jeffreys Lighting design Ben Gilbert     Mentor: John Leventhall Lighting operation Gus van Manen     Mentors: The Chipstead Players Technical Team Spotlight operator Chris Jacobs Sound operation Fergus Walling
Review: By Theo Spring of The Croydon Advertiser
This delightful mix of fairy tale and panto people was joyously performed by Chipstead’s youngsters, both to their credit and that of the director, Ian Brown. Bursting with characters, the tales were cleverly interwoven, thus allowing Ben Jeffrey as the spoilt, pompous Emperor Persimmon to demand weekly accolades to celebrate his birthday – flags, more flags and a band – and Samuel Holland to turn in an exuberant dame as Jack’s mother. The tale is moved on by Town Crier "Tink" Bell with Charlie Mabbutt dithering wonderfully over his announcements. With some doubling up, his daughter Abigail was performed on the night I was there by the sweet-voiced Fran Loosley. ANother doubled part was one half of the baddies, Wily „ Molly Rose on my night creating a good team with Jevon Clark as Sly, both very plausible when encouraging the emperor to wear almost nothing at all! A very well rehearsed light-hearted romp of a show achieved by a dedicated and talented cast.
CAN’T PAY, WON’T PAY
5th – 10th March 2012 By Dario Fo Directed by Kate Thurlow
Farce Fed up with ever-rising food prices, Antonia and her comrades indulge in some "self-service" at the local supermarket. Crazy disasters pile up on top of each other as two of them try to cope with the fallout while keeping everything from their husbands.
Cast   Crew Antonia Elayne Teague   Set Designer David Franks Margherita Yasmin Nixon   Set Construction David Franks & The Giovanni Lars Sawyer   Chipstead Players Sergeant/Inspector/   Construction Crew Old Man/Undertaker Geoff Thorn   Stage Manager Andy Mills Luigi Jeremy Barry   Lighting Graham House   Sound Jeff Stone   Costumes Pam Jarrad,   Elizabeth Lockhart-   Mure & Pat Andrews   Furniture Clare Sparshatt   Properties Paul Beckley &   Linda Hall   Prompt Stephen Thurlow   Production Manager Louise Delaney
SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN VAN TROPPS
12th – 15th January 2012 18th – 21st January 2012 By Ian Radburn & Iain McGrath Directed by Sharon Laws Musical Direction by Terry Brown Choreography by Patrica Thompsett
Drama If it’s good enough for The Royal Shakespeare Company, it’s good enough for The Chipstead Players! They commissioned a reimagining of Cardenio, Shakespeare’s lost play. We’ve done the same for the story that the Brothers Grimm forgot to publish. With a cast of thousands, we’ll whisk you away to the magic kingdom – poisoned apple, miniature people and all.
Cast   Crew Snow White Rachel Keen   Set Designer Mel Morgan Prince Charming Samantha White   Set Construction Alan Croft & The Cleggy Roy Pearson   Chipstead Players Queen Jordan Jacqui Saunders   Construction Team Mirror Geoff Thorn   Stage Manager Colin Edgerton Britney Eloise Massimo   Stage Crew Lewis Hayes & The Hortensia Totty Andy Wiggins   Chipstead Players Harriet Hill Sarah Pearson   Backstage Crew Herne Hill Ian Radburn   Production Managers Jo Hopkins & Woody/Servant Noel Harris   Simon Kennedy Little Red Riding   Lighting Design Matt Leventhall   Hood Sarah Richardson   Lighton Operation Ben Gilbert Hunter/Pupil Jon Laws   Spotlight Operators Fergus Walling,   Georgina Brown & The Villagers Kate Batchelor   The Chipstead Kelly Burke   Players Youth Theatre Jordan Crabtree   Lighting Team Frances Loosley   Sound Mel Morgan Katherine Mill   Properties Lauren Milsom, Emily Synnott   Mary Morgan &   Pauline Beckley The Pupils Ian Brown   Wardrobe Edwina Marrow, Linda Crabtree   Anne Franks & The Nick Gane,   Wardrobe Team John Laws,   Furniture Clare Sparshatt Gus van Manen   Scene Painters Jennifer Barnes & Peter van Manen &   Linda Hornzee-Jones Vicky van Manen     The van Tropps Anne Batchelor   Katie Bignall   Terry Brown   Aurora Chandler-       Honnor   Ethan Elsdon   Maria Gallagher   Ben Jeffreys   Mia Meggiolaro   Georgia Pearson