​Much Hadham Drama Group

MUCH HADHAM DRAMA GROUP - “Goodnight Mr. Tom”

Directed by Sue Clarke

Reviewed at Much Hadham Village Hall on Thursday 12th May 2022

 

Following the death of his wife and baby son over forty years ago, Tom Oakley has lived an almost reclusive life in a west-country village.  His only company is his faithful dog Sammy. When war breaks out he reluctantly takes in a young refugee from London, William Beech.  The boy is undernourished, illiterate and covered in bruises, the result of regular beatings by his mother. She even packs the leather belt used for the purpose which is immediately thrown out by Tom. Gradually William begins to thrive. Tom teaches him to read and write and enrolls him at the local school where he makes friends.  He also joins a drama group where rehearsals are underway for Toad of Toad Hall.

 

When William’s mother is taken ill he has to return home.  Weeks go by with no word so Tom takes his first trip to London, determined to track down the boy.  He finds him in distressful circumstances but comes up against the authorities when he tries to take William back with him.

 

On the evening I attended William Beech was played by Noah Crosby.  This is quite a harrowing part for a child to play, dealing as it does with abuse and neglect.  Noah therefore had to take on the characteristics of a child who had been deprived of love and knew only cruelty. This of course is all part of learning how to act.  Even so, it could not have been an easy thing to do and I therefore think he should be congratulated on a very creditable performance. William’s friend Zach Wrench is the son of actors. Stage struck and extrovert he never misses an opportunity to demonstrate his acting skills. Well done to Will Scutts on his portrayal of this character. The decision to include Zach’s bike was a brave one considering the lack of performance space.

 

Paul Winspear was a very convincing Tom Oakley.  With a west county accent, kept up throughout and a relaxed manner, this was an excellent performance of the reclusive widower whose world is turned upside down, in a way he could never have imagined, when he takes in a child refugee.

 

Very well done to Connor Hughes for his handling of Sammy the dog.  I just love the puppeteering involved in bringing Sammy to life.

 

There are so many characters in this play, often making only fleeting appearances, therefore doubling or trebling up is usually the way to go.  Well done to everyone who took on these multiple supporting roles, in particular that of Mrs Beech, a God fearing character who chastises her children for her own sins.  Uptight and showing not an ounce of emotion, this role may have been a small one but in the capable hands of Lisa Turpcu it was certainly one that stood out.

 

Well done to Eloise Daniell and Jessie Waller as sisters Carrie and Ginnie and to all the children who looked as though they were really enjoying being involved in the production.

 

The lighting plot was good and I particularly enjoyed the wartime images which really added to the atmosphere. Unfortunately the lack of sufficient amplification meant that some of the voices, especially the younger ones, were difficult to hear at times.

 

Good use was made of the performance space, half of which was given over to Tom’s cottage, while the other half required numerous scene changes, most of which were carried out with minimum disruption to the pace. The table in Tom’s cottage did look rather cluttered and clearing it when William arrived caused a slight hiatus in the action. Amongst other things it involved moving a vase of flowers to the floor which made me wonder if this particular prop was necessary in the first place.  That aside this was a very enjoyable, well directed production.

 

Well done to everyone involved and thank you for inviting me.

 

Decia Ranger

NODA East, District 07