St Jude’s Players’ latest offering of Taking Steps by Alan Ayckbourn is a very enjoyable evening’s entertainment.
The six person cast under the direction of Kym Clayton leads the audience on a merry dance not only through their convoluted personal stories but through the “three storeys” of The Pines. The performance was evenly paced throughout the two acts with strong performances from everyone.
This ensemble was well cast and not only delivered very funny individual performances but interacted well with their fellow performers. Anita Zamberlan Canala shone as the glamorous Lizzie, and was convincing in her role as the ex dancer yearning for her imagined past glory. Mason Willis was very good as Lizzie’s brother Mark, an earnest but unfortunately boring individual. Jack Robins (Roland Crabbe) has a commanding stage presence and was excellent in the role of the pompous Roland. Tony Busch as Leslie Bainbridge is a scene stealer and played the obsequious owner with great relish. The most challenging role was well played by Adrian Heness as Tristram the extremely ill-at-ease legal representative who is inadvertently trapped in all of the chaos. Jessica McGaffin appears later in the play as Kitty and triggers a number of very entertaining situations. The physical comedy in the second act was delightful.
Congratulations to Anthony Vawser and Mary-Jane Minear for stage management and set design respectively. They convincingly created the illusion of a three storey house on a small stage and the movement of the characters upstairs and downstairs was a comic performance in its own right.
