Crieff Drama Group’s spring production this year was ‘The Park Bench’ by Ashley Burgoyne. Ably directed by Neil Combe, the cast succeeded in conveying the subtle, as well as the more obvious, humour of this funny play.
It’s a play of contrasts between the widowed and the married; the married but childless and the single parent; the old-fashioned and the thoroughly modern.
As the title suggests, the action is centred on a particular park bench where Charles, adeptly played by Neil Combe, always sat with his now deceased wife, Rose. He returns to bench regularly and talks to her - a very useful device in which the audience learns details like the fact that Charles has withdrawn £1000 from the Building Society to pay a tradesman.
Now, though, an array of different characters enters his life and what ensues is a series of misunderstandings, presumptions and fanciful notions and ends with a heartwarming denouement of new friendships forged.
Martin Brunton played Ian, the first character that Charles meets. Ian’s marriage is under strain thanks to an unfortunate incident at his office Christmas party. Following their exchange, Charles inadvertently leaves behind a plastic bag containing the £1000. Ian doesn’t notice this, but single mother Stacy finds it after they have departed and the audience sees her put the bag in the pram. Susan Holoran was very convincing as Stacy, especially the sections where she is talking to her friend Shel on her mobile phone.
From time to time during these exchanges, John Cummings and Fiona Wellstood kept appearing in the background looking like bird watchers and taking photographs. When they eventually took centre stage, the audience discovered that they were geocaching – a kind of treasure hunt using GPS on their mobile phones. As Colin and Tina, John and Fiona made a great comedy double act as a plausible married couple, bickering one minute but very much working together once Colin jumps to his ridiculous conclusion that they’ve witnessed a drug deal.
Ian, and the audience, jump to their own conclusions when Stacy appears the next day with a brand new pram. He shares his suspicions with Charles who is not prepared to make an accusation without evidence. It is down to Ian’s wife Linda, played by Lolie Ware, to persuade Stacy to return to the bench the following day when they plan to discuss the situation with her.
In the meantime, Colin and Tina have left a second bag, this time of fake money, and alerted the police to the possibility of a drugs bust. It is the appearance of this second bag which prompts Stacy to produce the first bag still containing the full amount. Colin and Tina end up hoisted by their own petard as they are arrested while the other four characters have cemented their new found friendships. Mike Owens, long a stalwart of the Drama Group, made a brief but effective cameo as the voice of the police officer.
As always, what happens behind the scenes is as important in bringing a play to life as what happens on the stage and full credit goes to the large Production crew. Worthy of particular mention are the sound team of Gordon N Campbell and Douglas Graham who, in concert with lighting man Barry Hargrave, used birdsong to great effect in portraying the passage of time. Finally, well done to all of the Drama Group members who make sure that front of house and the bar operate smoothly.
