Victorian farce keeps cast on their toes
An Eastbourne acting group had more talent audition than they needed for their latest production, A Little Hotel on the Side.
Eastbourne’s Butterfly Creek Theatre Troupe had double the amount of girls wanting to be ghosts than was required so they made two teams of four.
Director John Marwick said the teams, aged between 10 and 14, would perform in the Victorian farce on alternate nights.
The group had lots of young blood because it had a good reputation, Marwick said. Actors such as Graeme Carruthers, from Waikanae and Hayden Rogers from Karori, come from far and wide to work with the troupe.
An actor from the area, Colin Orchiston, would be using knowledge from his day job in his first on-stage role with the group by playing an architect.
The only challenges the group had with the play, which was written by Georges Feydeau and Maurice Desvallieres and translated by John Mortimer, was staging as they had had to create six doors and two sets.
‘‘As it is a farce you have people running in and out of doors and almost getting caught,’’ Marwick said.
Creating the Victorian costumes was a team effort for Lower Hutt-based wardrobe mistress Carol Thompson.
A Little Hotel on the Side‘ s plot is packed full of thwarted passions, mistaken identities, near-misses, unlikely peccadilloes, secret assignations and moments of panic.
Benoit Pinglet is married to a harridan but covets the beautiful Marcelle, wife of his neighbour and best friend, Henri Paillardin.
When Henri treats her badly Marcelle agrees to spend a night with Pinglet at The Free Trade Hotel – an establishment that caters to married couples ‘‘with or without each other’’.
Also staying at the hotel are her husband, his friend with four daughters, her nephew with his French maid and a comic collection of other characters including the Morality Police.
A Little Hotel on the Side will be performed at Muritai School Hall, Eastbourne, 7.30 pm on October 20, 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29 and 4 pm on October 23. Tickets $18, $15 (concessions) and $12 (children) at www.bctt.org.nz or from Rona Gallery, Eastbourne.