Written By
John Bowen
Where and When
24th April 1970 @ Wimborne Modern School, Wimborne
The Plot
The Coffee Lace concerns and ageing group of variety performers who had long since given up the outside world and lived at subsistence level on goods picked up on the London Underground by their manager Johnny, played by Tony Pawley, who still braves other human contact for this purpose. The death of one on them, Lily – played by Thelma Dryden, eventually causes them to leave their voluntary seclusion.
Ticket Information
- Admission – 5/-
Cast
- Rose – Elizabeth Anthony
- Iris – Muriel Brooks
- Lily – Thelma Dryden
- Johnny – Tony Pawley
- Sonny – James Glanfield
- Jimmy – John Anthony
- Mr Davis – Graham Brown
- Miss Peel – Peggy Tyack
- Madge – Brenda Sammons
Creative Team
- Director – Derek Saunders
- Stage Manager – Alan Lewis
- Stage Assistants – Chris Ridout, Ian Raeburn, Mike Waring, Jennie Lewis, Arthur Brooks, Peter Brooks, Helen Hatton and Linda Pawley
Gallery
Reviews
People who live in Little Boxes
Wimborne Drama Club’s spring production at Wimborne Modern school was of the two playlets by John Bowen, under the joint title of Little Boxes, the individual titles being The Coffee Lace and Trevor.
The plays both comedies with a strong undercurrent of pathos, while totally different in content, were written to be performed on the same basic stage setting, and both had their underlying theme the reasons why the people concerned chose not to go out and confined themeselves instead to their Little Boxes.
The plays were produced by Derek Saunders, and the impressive stage setting by stage manager Alan Lewis, added greatly to his skillful production.
It was a refreshing change to see an amateur club stage something written only a few years ago, and the preformers and the production staff successfully overcame the technical challenge which these plays presented.
The Coffee Lace concerns and ageing group of variety performers who had long since given up the outside world and lived at subsistence level on goods picked up on the London Underground by their manager Johnny, played by Tony Pawley, who still braves other human contact for this purpose. The death of one on them, Lily – played by Thelma Dryden, eventually causes them to leave their voluntary seclusion.
Other members of the troupe were played by Elizabeth Anthony, Muriel Brooks, James Glanfield and John Anthony. Mr Davies a pawn broker and frequent visitor was played by Graham Brown and Miss Peel and Madge by Peggy Tyack and Benda Sammons.
The other play, Trevor, deals with two young women who share a flat and a lesbian relationship, perhaps an unusual background to what is almost a farce – these two parts were sympathetically portrayed by Jenni Waring and Janine Brockes. To satisfy their parents they invent a boyfriend, Trevor, and hire an out of work actor to meet one pair of parents, but both sets of parents turn up at the same time.
Richard Withers played the name part with great skill, and got full value from the comic situations. The parents were played by Pat Nott, Nick Carter, Tricia Marlow and Tony Pawley and Tim Eling played their landlord, Mr Hudson.
Prosecuction assistants were Chris Ridout, Ian Raeburn, Mike Waring, Jennie Lewis, Arthur Brooks, Peter Brooks, Helen Hatton and Linda Pawley.
DRAMA IN MODERN IDIOM
Pursuing their policy of staging modern plays, Wimborne Drama Club presented “Little Boxes” by John Bowen at Wimborne Modern School last week.
The performance consisted of two short plays. The first, “The Coffee Lace,” is a drama about the lives of a group of agedvariety artists. Elizabeth Anthony, Muriel Brooks hnd Thelma Dryden as Rose, Iris and Lily, all gave competent performances, while Tony Pawley, James Glanfield and John Anthony ably supported them in the male roles.
Young Mr. Davis, a young man learning from the old-timers, was played by Grahame Brown, a new and promising member of the Group. Peggy Tyack and Brenda Simmons gave convincing performances in the parts of American undertakers.
This is not in any respect a happy play.
The second play, “Trevor”, is of a very different character. Reminiscent of a French farce, with actors popping in and out of doors and up and down stairs, the play centres on the lives of two girls living together, and a phoney fiance to satisfy their respective parents.
The two girls, Sarah and Jane, played by Jenni Waring and Janine Brockes, were attractively portrayed, particularly the former. Miss Brockes, an excellent comedy actress, did not seem too happy in the part. Richard Withers, as Trevor the fiance was excellent, A natural comic, he was responsible for a large proportion of the laughs.
Pat Nott and Tricia Marlow did well in somewhat negative parts. Nick Carter and Tony Pawley, the latter being the only member to take part in both plays, were the respective fathers. Their inebriated scene with Trevor in the kitchen was one of the highlights of the play. Tim Eling played the landlord with convincing
restraint.
It is perhaps a pity that this frolic should be somewhat marred by the lavatory humour of the author, reminiscent of the Lower Fourth.
The set was excellent under the stage management of Alan Lewis.
A difficult couple of plays to produce, and Derek Saunders brought his cast to a high standard of performance.
A reader writes:
I should like to express my disgust at the choice of two playlets put on this week by the Wimborne Wimborne Drama Club. In my opinion the first one, although having a hint of humour, was macabre and in bad taste, but the second was obscene.
Lesbianism, lavatories (including the sound effects of chain-pulling), B.O., and bad language are surely not Wimborne’s idea of pleasant entertainment. These misguided young actors and actresses are wasting their talents. Do they wish to shock the residents of Wimborne into staying away from future productions? I understand the plays have been produced in London. Let London keep it lewdness – it is
not wanted here.
Pamela J. Dodd (Mrs)
Macabre humour in Wimborne playlets
For their spring production Wimborne Drama Club presented at the Modern School, Iast week-end, ‘Little Boxes,’ comprising two playlets. Both were set, in a substantiallyconstructed three-level setting of flatlets.
The first, ‘The Coffee Lace,’ concerns a group of elderly ex-theatrical folk – living in the half-world of senility, and ending up by selling the corpse of one of their number to raise money to provide an anniversary celebration for those remaining. As the three couples involved, John and Elizabeth Anthony (Jimmy and Rose), Tony Pawley and Thelma Dryden (Johnny and Lily) and James Glanfield and Muriel
Brooks (Sonny and Iris) gave sincere performances which highlighted both the tragedy of the situation and the macabre humour arising from it. Graham Brown was equally sincere as Mr. Davis – a pawnbroker’s
stage-struck assistant – striving desperately to bring the sextette back to earth. Peggy Tyack and Brenda Simmons capably filled the supporting roles of Miss Peel and Madge.
The second playlet, ‘Trevor,’ centres on a pair of lesbians who dragoon an out-of-work actor into helping them to bamboozle their respective parents, when they arrive simultaneously. While conforming to the conventions of the ‘permissive society,’ this playlet has all the familiar ingredients of farce. Richard Withers had a boisterous and exhausting part as the actor, Trevor.
The girls whose love life was thrown into turmoil – Sarah Lawrence and Jane Kempton – were well contrasted by Jenni Waring and Janine Brockes. Pat Nott and Nick Carter played well as Sarah’s unnatural
mother and compliant father, and Tricia Marlow and Tony Pawley were convincing as Jane’s possessive mother and her spouse. Tim Eling supported as the landlord, Mr. Hudson.
Production was ably directed by Derek Saunders, and Alan Lewis stage-managed, assisted by Chris Ridout, Ian Raeburn, Mike Waring, Jennie Lewis, Arthur Brooks, Peter Brooks, Helen Hatton. and Linda
Pawley.
Programme
