Written By
Jean Anouilh
Where and When
8th – 11th November 1972 @ The Church House, Wimborne
The Plot
Produced off-Broadway under the title “Rendezvous at Senlis.” Delachume, a young man of considerable charm and no scruples, is married to a rich, hysterical wife; they live in luxury in Paris, and their worldly goods are shared by Georges’ parents and his best friend Jacques, not to mention Jacques’ wife Barbara, all of whom have been in comfort for years. Then into Georges’ life comes Isabelle, a quiet young girl with a kind heart and none of the sophistication to which he has been accustomed for so long. Georges is swept off his feet by her simplicity, and succumbs to a longing for an uncomplicated life – shared, of course, with Isabelle. He spins stories for her about the parents and friends he would like to have, and the sort of home where he would like to ask her to dine with the family – she accepts. He must obviously reproduce this fictious background for one night, or lose Isabelle. He hires house, servants and stage parents, but his real family materalize before his dream, and Isabelle discovers the truth. Georges, after a scene with his wife in which she tries to shoot him, thinks he has lost both his present and his future. However, Isabelle’s love is not the love “which alters when it alteration finds” and, as the hangers-on recognize defeat and retire one by one, Georges and Isabelle are left to a future of love and simplicity far away from Paris and its intrigues.
Cast
- Proprietress – Janine Brockes
- Georges Delachaume – Tony Pawley
- Emile – Mike Waring
- Delmote – John Anthony
- Mme de Montrachet – Elizabeth Anthony
- Barbara – Jennifer Waring
- Jacques – Russ Guillaume
- M Delachaume – Arthur Brooks
- Esme – Iris Platt
- Mme Delachaume – Muriel Brooks
- Isabelle – Tricia Colley
- The Doctor – Tim Eling
Creative Team
- Producer – Thelma Dryden
- Stage Manager – Peter Cowling
- Properties – Barbara Tepper
- Prompt – Jean Lewis
- ASMs – Ian raeburn and Ian Perkins
- Business – Ted Henbest
- Front of House – Janine Brockes, Russ Guillaume and Arthur Brooks
Gallery
Reviews
Drama Club Play Tested Cast To The Full
Dinner with the family. It seems a harmless enough affair, but Jean Anouilh’s play of that title presented on four nights last week by Wimborne Drama Club at Church House, Wimborne was far from passive.
Georges, a young man married to a rich heiress and hounded by his family, finds escape in a young girl called Isabelle. He arranges for her to come to his house for Dinner With The Family, but with a difference. He hires professional actors to play the parts of his “adoring” parents, hires a butler and rents a house for just the evening. Having no friends, he has created an image for Isabelle of a young man ready to die for him if need be. This friend will, of course, be absent from the dinner party.
Everything goes wrong and his plot is discovered. The pressures of his family for him to return to the heiress and her money do not persuade him to leave the tender charms of his new found love.
The set and the actors clothes were unusual – entirely in black and white – and you can draw your own conclusions. Thanks for this should go to producer Thelma Dryden, who has produced plays for the club many times, and the stage manager, Peter Cowling. For him it was the first time in this position, and he made an admirable job, giving the actors plenty of room to manoeuvre. On the small stage at Church House this is something deserving of congratulation, as well as the speedy scene changes.
The play though comical in parts, was a tragedy. Not one person, except Isabelle, recognised anything in life that had real meaning, and even she put her emphasis on the wrong things. The fantasy of the family built around and depending on Georges’ marriage and the money for them to survive, seemed shallow and despairing against his love for Isabelle. Yet even she was content to live in a “fantasy” marriage of five minutes, and to grow old with him.
The parts of Georges, the important one of a young man with great pressures on him was the centre of the whole play. Unfortunately Tony Pawley was not equal to the role. Although several actors forgot their lines, and in spite of the setback of an unusually loud prompter, the play picked up after the first act, following her initial bout of first night nerves, but not Tony Pawley. It was a part that had much to give to the audience with a lot of suggestion. He fought gallantly with little effect all through the play.
Tricia Colley, as the heroine Isabelle wore a dress that was noteably whiter than the other ladies and was to a certain extent the pure country girl ruled by her love, but was not as convincing as she might have been.
Muriel and Arthur Brooks as the parents of Georges came over well, as did Elizabeth and John Anthony, the two actors hired as parents. Their parts could be exaggerated and if they had brought more continuity into their lines I would have been happier.
For me there were really three actors in the play. One was the butler, played by Michael Waring, whose straight faced humour and timing were a relief from the tension of the rest of the play. The others were Barbara and Jacques played by Jenni Waring and Russ Guillaume. As Georges’ mistress she was arrogant yet generous. The back-biting between her and Jacques, her jealous husband (jealous of Georges’ money), was superbly timed and brought out. Russ showed off the qualities of blackguard, Jacques and his face was a picture. No-one could have bettered the lip-curling and scowls.
The idea of the family photo curtain call was brilliantly executed and allowed everyone to be seen in comfort – much better than the old way of actors bobbing up and down and getting caught behind the curtain.
Wimborne can hope that the Drama Club performs other plays of this calibre. It they can work harder at getting lines knitted together and rembering them, and not over-exaggerating their moments, they chould be vastly improved for their next production.
Family Affair
Strength of the Wimborne Drama Club’s wide range of acting talents was evident in their serving Dinner With The Family for their patrons this week.
French dramatist Jean Anouilh’s little gem of a continental romatic entanglement and deceit required a cast of 12 most of whom had to be competetnt in order not to let the others and the play down. And, overcoming last night’s first show tension, they added another credit rating to the clubs record to overall proficiency and no little polish.
Producer Thelma Dryden gained praise for maintaining a high standard of performance and her black and white setting theme was most effective. Despite handicaps over stage facilities and lack of space at Church House, Peter Cowling, the young stage manager and his colleagues Ian Raeburn and Ian Perkins did a fine job.
Among the cast were three married couples – the Brooks, Warings and Anthonys. All were in fine form.
Kingpin of the story was Georges (Tony Pawley) whose unhappy marriage to a rich woman led him on to a mistress and then infatuation with Isabella (tricia Cowley); a romance that threatened his marrige and hence the healthy income on which his sponging parents and friends depended.
The tug of love between the family and Isabella demanded a great deal from Mr Pawley. He struggled bravely with the difficult part but throughout it was a contest he didnt win. This was unfortunate for the rest of the cast – particularly Russ Guillaume and Jenni Waring – showed the depth of ability of this group of amateur dramatists.
CLUB’S COMEDY LIVED UP TO NAME
Having married a wealthy woman in order to obtain money to squander on himself and his mistresses and to support his parasitical parents and friends, an amoral young Frenchman heroically decides to ‘change partners’ and go back to working for his living when he finds a girl dumb enough to have faith in him in spite of his lurid past.
Such, in brief, is the plot of Jean Anouilh’s comedy ‘Dinner with the family,’ which Wimborne Drama Club staged at Church House last week – the title referring to a phony dinner party planned by the ‘hero,’ Georges Delachaume. And skilful production by Thelma Dryden ensured that full advantage was taken of every opportutity for laughs and for sentimental touches.
To Tony Pawley fell the task of making credible the character of the highly improbable Georges, and he acquitted himself remarkably well. Joe and Muriel Brooks were excellent as Georges’ sponging parents; and John and Elizabeth Anthony ‘hammed’ convincingly as the actor and actress (M. Delmonte and
Mme. De Montrachet) hired by Georges to impersonate his parents at the dinner. Arthur Brooks deserves a special word of praise for carrying on with his part in spite of torn leg muscles.
Giving assured and sensitive performances, Russ Guillaume and Jenni Wanng were superbly cast as Georges’ friend Jacques and his wife (and…..
Programme
