Flying Feathers by Derek Benfield
Thursday 24 - Saturday 26 April 2008
Knebworth Village Hall at 8pm

A country farmhouse with an absent owner, a new housekeeper with a desire to make best use of the resource, a ready supply of willing girls from the local job centre and suddenly there is a new facility for gentlemen in the village.
Unfortunately, the owner (having exiled himself to a religious commune on the Orkneys) is reported deceased (due to an accident with a tractor) and the play opens with the arrival at the farmhouse of his Chief Constable brother, Henry (Wayne
Jarvis) and highly excitable and suitably silly sister, Sarah (Judith Cook), who have no idea of the ‘change of use’ that has taken place.

Sarah rapidly becomes bemused and confused, with Henry starting bemused but then becoming simultaneously amused and intrigued, as a succession of young ‘farm girls’ is various states of attire, are explained away by the housekeeper, Mrs Winthrop (Barbara Holgate-Stuckey), whose manner goes rapidly from "I’m in charge, here" to manic back-covering, as she discovers the identity of the two visitors and tries desperately to prevent them finding out that ‘you-know-what’ has been going on at the house.

The four girls, Polly (Rebecca Pugh), Debbie (Charlotte Rowe), Sally (Louise Gibson) and Jackie (Seana MacNamara) do not catch on to Mrs Winthrop’s dilemma, and raise the humorous tension as they continue to treat Henry as if he were a regular punter, much confusing dialogue resulting, especially in relation to Henry having brought his sister. The arrival of a genuine punter (a ‘vicar who is not a vicar’, Roger Featherstone, played with adept confusion by Andrew Howes) adds to the cross-purpose dialogue with Henry.

Mr Tunnicliffe, a solicitor (who IS a solicitor – until he becomes a vet) arrives on horseback. Tunnicliffe (played by Cliff Francis, a very welcome guest from the Letchworth Settlement Players) is ably portrayed as he shifts from pure professional, through ‘rabbit in headlights’ to abject misery, as no-one actually tells him what is going on. Add to this a dead window-cleaner (who isn’t dead! – a 3 second, but very convincing debut appearance by John Whitbread – he actually had longer on stage during the curtain call!) and the die is cast for us to remember that …. The house owner, Bernard and Henry, the Chief Constable, …. are twins.

Bernard appears.
Is it a ghost?
Is Bernard actually dead?

If you blinked, did you actually see Henry (Wayne) leave the stage before Bernard (Wayne Jarvis ) appeared on the other side? Can you be sure he wasn’t ACTUALLY in two places at once, at the end? A commendation medal for Wayne, his dressers, and the traffic police behind scenes for the rapid transfers.

Directed with slick pace by Liane Welch, her debut as director with Knebworth Players, made the more remarkable by the fact that seven of the ten cast were also new to the Knebworth Players stage. The action throughout was held in place by Wayne and Barbara, there being only a few moments when neither one, were present on stage.

The set was beautifully designed, constructed, decorated and furnished by Tony White, Robert Van Goethem, David Holgate-Stuckey, Lorraine Van Goethem and members of the cast. Costumes were devised, procured and fitted by Pat White.
Creaking cupboard doors and various simulated farm animals were provided by yours truly. Altogether, a light, fast moving farce, with characters and caricatures ably supporting the storyline, building the confusion through to the final curtain.

Graham Dormer