I would like
to start with a couple of warnings to "serious" theatregoers and critics.
First: A Bedfull of Foreigners does not do much by way of edification.
Its primary objective is to entertain, and it is not above pulling a
few cheap tricks to achieve this. Second: this comedy was first performed
in 1976, and it shows its age slightly (e.g. the characters include
an English biscuit salesman and a French cabaret dancer).
While these two factors do not damage the British Theatre Playhouse's
successful production, they warrant mention before I can proceed with
the effusive praise that the performance deserves.
The play was a winner, regardless of whether one is accustomed to Shakespearean
or tarts-and-knickers brands of comedy. The plot was uncomplicated but
clever enough to serve its comic purpose. Two British couples staying
in a little French hotel wind up in morally compromising positions due
to an unfortunate coincidence. They subsequently go to painful lengths
to cover their tracks, fearing discovery and the wrath of their spouses.
The script was hilarious, full of the flagrant innuendoes and witty
puns typical of British humour. The actors were committed and professional,
combining comic timing, physical comedy and a strong cast chemistry.
Tight pacing by director John Nolan meant that there wasn't a cheesy
moment that overstayed its welcome, and burlesque elements stayed on
the right side of "camp". While the actors seemed to be having a ball
of a time onstage, there was skilful control behind every laugh-inducing
word, pause and gesture.
As a result, Dave Freeman's depiction of the hysteria experienced by
those who incur the wrath of their jealous spouses was hugely engaging,
even to someone who is neither British, married nor cheating on someone.
More remarkably, the actors' keen attention to comic timing and the
audience's response created a live and resonating energy. Take the first
half of the play, which contained the most ridiculous shenanigans, and
in which a stuck closet door played a rather central role. As middle-aged
hausfrau Helga (Kim Hartman) frantically abseiled out of the hotel window,
displacing the radiator as well as her clothing, I expected to be rolling
my eyes at the next scene. Then, just as my eyeballs started twitching
in their sockets, in waltzed French cabaret dancer Simone (Emma Francis),
completely clichéd in a tight red dress and beret, ready to surprise
her lover, the biscuit salesman Claude (Jeremy Gittins) - whose wife
just happens to have abseiled out of the window. The timing of Simone's
entrance was so precise, and her exaggerated tart act so self-possessed,
that I just had to laugh at how screwed Claude was.
While the quality of the cast was consistently high, special mention
should be made of Nick Wilton, who played a regular bloke-next-door
drawn into the sordid world of Claude's cheating ways. Wilton channelled
into the part of Stanley a frustrated but good-natured husband whose
treatment at the hands of women looked akin to POW torture. First nagged
by his wife, then by Helga (whom he assisted with the abseiling), Stanley
was finally forced to perform a hilarious striptease as part of Simone's
ploy to make Claude jealous. Wilton stripped initially with the tentative
shyness of one unused to any kind of seduction. But as Stanley's thrusting
and jiggling became more liberated, and his character more confident
of his (imagined) sexual allure, he became increasingly awful and hilarious
to watch. (It was also then that Stanley stopped being an innocent accomplice
and became an active participant in the decadence, but, because this
was a farce, it was funny and one did not have to worry about moral
consequences.)
Since the play was obviously not designed for critical enquiry, I will
only say that I was heartened to see some shades of soul beneath the
rock-and-roll comedy. Even though Simone bemoaned the fact that her
chosen lover was a sorry biscuit salesman, she remained despairingly
faithful to Claude. At the same time, Helga's gathered composure throughout
the madness hinted at an obsessive need for control, perhaps resulting
from a subconscious awareness of Claude's misdemeanours.
Given the farcical nature of the play, the sound and lighting could
have been more colourful, in line with the overall tone of the production.
The use of lighting would have heightened the dramatic effect of Stanley's
startling re-entrance through the window in a monk's robe and with his
face charred. Sound and music would have enhanced the carnival atmosphere,
which was already present in the local village festival taking place
just next to the hotel.
All in all, A Bedfull of Foreigners was a completely satisfying
experience that embodied the best production values seen by this reviewer
in a long while. The British Theatre Playhouse deserves kudos for having
pulled off this comedy with such gusto and professionalism. Theatre
should always be this good, this alive.
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"Dave Freeman's depiction of the hysteria experienced by those who incur
the wrath of their jealous spouses was hugely engaging, even to someone
who is neither British, married nor cheating on someone"
Credits
Script: Dave Freeman
Cast: John Nolan, Richard Denning, Nick Wilton, Corinna Powlesland,
Kim Hartman, Jeremy Gittins, Emma Francis
Director: John Nolan
Producer: Cecilia Leong-
Faulkner and John Faulkner
Set: Norman Coates, Tan Yu Kim
Lighting: Andy Lim Chung Keat
Production Manager: Pabel Tan Suan Gee
Stage Managers: Tom Nolan, Koo Ching Long, Andrew Jeevan
Set: G.N. Dass Media Enterprises
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