Written By
Kenneth Horne
Where and When
2nd – 3rd November 1956 @ County Modern School, Wimborne
The Plot
Two couples – one married, one not – are touring Ireland in the 1950’s when they find themselves lost. Fortunately both couples find a very unusual bed-and-breakfast, run by the eccentric Mrs Evans, her strangely silent husband, Mr Evans… and his ducks! It could all be a harmless adventure, but… there is only one bedroom.
Cast
- Mrs Evans – Daphne Young
- Nigel – Michael Aiken
- Pat – Peggy Hastings
- Mr Evans – Wauchope George
- Howard – Paddy Brooman
- Rose – Hilary Boreham
Creative Team
- Producer – Vida Jeffrey
- Stage Manager – Wauchope George
- Lighting – Douglas Treharne
- Properties – Thelma Dryden and Pam Mottram
- Prompt – Beryl Verran
- General and Business Managers – Leslie Young and Daphne Young
Preview
Newcomers in Latest Production
Four “newcomers” are making their bow with Wimborne Drama Club this week-end in Kenneth Horne’s popular stage and film success, “Love in a Mist”.
Two of them – Michael Aiken, a Wimborne Grammar School boy, and Peggy Hastings, a receptionist, are playing the “newly-weds”, Nigel and Pat; and the third, Hilary Boneham, a teacher at Wimborne County
Modern School, will appear as near-erring secretary, Rose.
The fourth, Wauchope George, is well known in local dramatic circles and has previously stage-managed for the Wimborne Club. This time he will combine stage-management with his first acting appearance with the Club – as the mute Mr. Evans.
Two of the Club’s most reliable and experienced players, Paddy Brooman and Daphne Young complete the team as Howard and the garrulous Mrs, Evans.
Gallery
Reviews
Simple comedy rocked ’em
Just as it’s English to carry a rolled umbrella and to keep a stiff upper lip, so it rarely occurs to English honeymooners to spend their first few days of married bliss other than touring Devon and Cornwall. Hardly surprising then that Kenneth Horne sets his riotous comedy Love In A Mist in a remote bungalow on rugged Exmoor. He warms to his theme, and the result is the woeful tale – but with a happy ending – of an extraordinary English honeymoon.
One could almost say that a rock ‘n’ roll performance of the play was given at the County Modern School on Friday and Saturday by Wimborne Drama Club. For they had their audience rockin’ with laughter, and not far from rollin’ in the aisles.
Down comes the Exmoor mist like a blanket, and honeymooners Nigel and Pat take refuge at the bungalow of a duck farmer and his wife. They manage to acquire the only spare bedroom, everything appears to be running smoothly, when into the picture come Howard and Rose, also victims of the mist. And ostensibly out for an immoral weekend. But Rose is a really good girl. She didnt think, she tells Pat, what it would mean when Howard asked her to join him for the weekend. Oh you must come and sleep with me, dear, says sympathetic Pat – to Nigel’s unabashed dismay.
Love in a Mist is a simple, and at times a trifle crude, comedy. It depends entirely on situation, and must be played with pace. Here, I thought, Wimborne Drama Club scored, and producer Vida Jeffrey must be congratulated on never allowing the action to drag.
Michael Aiken and Peggy Hastings were quite admirable as Nigel and Pat the embarrassed hesitant honeymooners. Paddy Brooman was natural as Howard and Drama teacher Hilary Boreham gave a well….
I doubt whether Daphne Young has ever felt more at home in any part than she appeared to feel as the dryly humourous wife of the duck farmer. Wauchope George was amusingly eccentric as her husband who utters not a word.
I look forward to A Day by the Sea (N. C. Hunter), which the club hope to produce later.
Wimborne County Modern School was the scene of an entertaining production of Kenneth Horne’s three-act comedy, “Love in a Mist”, by the Wimborne Drama Club on Friday and Saturday.
The officers of the club are: Mr G. H. Watson (President),Mr W. L. Young (Chairman), Mrs T. Dryden (Vice-Chairman), Mrs E. D. Young, Sturminster Marshall (Hon. Secretary) and Mr A. J. Brooman (Hon. Treasurer).
Officers connected with this production were: Vida Jeffrey (Producer), Wauchope George (Stage Manager), Douglas Treharne (Lighting), Thelma Dryden and Pam Mottram (Properties), Beryl Verran (Prompter) and Leslie and Daphne
Young (General and Business Managers).
The cast was: Mrs Evans (the duck-farmer’s wife), Daphne Young; Nigel (bridegroom), Michael Aiken; Pat (bride), Peggy Hastings; Mr Evans (duck-farmer) Wauchope George; Howard (latecomer), Paddy Brooman; Rose (the girl with him), Hilary Boreham.
The play was originally produced at the St. Martin’s Theatre, London, in January, 1942.
Michael Aiken and Peggy Hastings were very well chosen for the newly married couple, and presented the enthusiasm, petulance, awkwardness and sudden shyness convincingly. Paddy Brooman, as the dilettante lecher, was good fun, and Hilary Boreham, his opportunist lady, balanced nicely with him.
Daphne Young played the sensation-loving Mrs Evans, the duck-farmer’s wife, and making hay while the sun shone — in spite of the mist — provided many a good laugh. The bizarre Mr Evans, half-daft duck-farmer, was always at
hand to disturb quiet moments with his flashes of buffoonery.
The last scene, when the logbound travellers gazed across the road through the thinning mist at the petrol sign which spelt release from their misfortunes, tribulations and misunderstandings, was a nice end, nicely played,
The audience on the Friday evening was comfortably large.
Drama Club’s “Hat-Trick” – Debut of Three Amateurs
Wimborne Drama Club scored a notable “hat-trick” last week when, in presenting Kenneth Horne’s popular comedy, “Lovein a Mist”, at Wimborne County Modern School, they introduced three new amateurs to the public.
Although only 17 years of age, Michael Aiken and Peggy Hastings teamed as the “stranded” bride and bridegroom and played with a sincerity anci virility of attack that gave their performance complete illusion of maturity.
The third newcomer, Hilary Boreham, gave an excellent characterisation as the would-be “good time girl”, and Paddy Brooman was outstanding as her “week-end partner,” Howard.
As the voluble Mrs Evans, Daphne Young gave one of the best performances of her career; and Wauchope George, who stage managed, was an admirable foil as the mute Mr Evans.
Telling the story of a newlywed couple whose honeymoon is wrecked by a pair of “unofficial honeymooners”, the play was capably produced by Vida Jeffrey. Stage staff included Thelma Dryden and Pam Mottram (property mistresses), Douglas Treharne (electriciana) and Beryl Verran (prompter). Leslie and Daphne Young acted as general and business managers.
Programme
