It never ceases to amaze me that musical theatre of a high standard can be produced by a local, amateur cast and successfully performed in a small, rural Village Hall but that is precisely what The Other Theatre Company achieved once again, with their performance of Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Canterville Ghost’. Wilde’s parody of an English country house ghost being browbeaten by a visiting American family does not have the most inspired dialogue but there are some interesting characters, clever observations and one-liners which have stood the test of time. There were enthusiastic and confident performances all round, notably including the younger members of the cast, in the parts of the Otis children, Virginia (Hannah Mattock) and twins Washington (Greg Walker) and Junior (Teddy Wilshaw). Hiram Otis (Roger Barlow) led from the front the family’s disregard for English tradition and blind belief in all things American. The ghost (Harry Kennedy) is, of course, the star of the show being blessed with the best costumes, some of the best lines and the only false hand in the entire play. The part was devoured with gusto and obvious relish. My first impression of the phantoms (Katherine Bland, Helen Coultas, Glen Godson, Tom Lloyd, Paula Mattock) was that they were a little too quiet to be malevolent but they grew on me and their slightly understated performance became eerily spooky. There is a lot of music in this show – but not many good tunes, in my view. One notable exception is a delightful little song, ‘Poor Ghost,’ which was performed very touchingly by Virginia. Much of the music makes difficult singing but it was tackled with verve and the line up was headed with two fine, strong singers in the roles of Lucretia (Rebecca Taylor) and Mrs Umney (Sarah Sherwood). The twin Otis brothers delivered a powerful performance of ‘Terrible Twins’. Underpinning the high quality of the performances were excellent costumes and make-up, an imaginative set and seamless instrumental accompaniment. In summary, another tour de force by The Other Theatre Company, a delightful evening’s entertainment and I’m already looking forward to the next offering.
For more information about this production, please see our Past Productions page for The Canterville Ghost.