The Stray
The Stray is a new play, written by local playwright Keith Burton with the help of Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam, which tells the story of Harrogate’s little known role in a secret plan to protect the royal family and Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the Second World War. Newby Hall, near Ripon, was identified as a possible home for the royal family and a wing of Grove House in Harrogate was designated for the Prime Minister. On September 8 1940 Buckingham Palace was bombed and the plans were expedited.
However, the RAF and the Secret Intelligence Service did not want the plans to go ahead as they were building Washington bombers at nearby Yeadon. Then on September 12 a Junker 88 attacked the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate. These were the only bombs to fall on the town in the war. ‘The Stray’ is based on what might have happened during the war week commencing September 8 1940.
This was a fascinating production giving ample opportunity for a large cast, of new and existing members, to tell a local story full of “well, who knew that” moments. The heart of the story was the Briggs family – father Joe (Michael Thorne), daughter Frances (Sally Smith) and sons Eugene (Chris Iredale) and Donald (Jonathan Levy). These were all extremely well drawn believable characters who gelled well as a family. Particular mention to Chris Iredale as the autistic Eugene and his carefully observed characteristics, and to Donald, who tugged at the heartstrings with his very brief appearance at the end of the play.
Other key characters added to the subterfuge at the heart of the play with sterling performances from Alan Young, as the airman at RAF Harrogate, who maintained his authentic London accent throughout the play, the consistently good Carol Bailey, as Wren Mary Stephens and the “villain” of the piece, Ben Derrick as Harry Andrews, a Special Liaison Officer attached to the RAF.
Nicola Good (as Dame Julia Chisholm of the SIS) and Steve Hunt (as Sir Charles Thurogood from the Air Ministry) represented officialdom with a vested interest in the events in Harrogate. They both gave very convincing performances with the appropriate air of dignitas.
Also involved were Jo Wright, who was seen but not heard, and Tom Barber, who was heard but not seen!
Period dramas are always problematic but the Society created and dressed a set that was very much in the spirit of the 1940s – a lot of attention to detail in props and furniture. So, congratulations to the Stage Managers, Justin Enthoven and Alan Stewart, the large team of people who built the set and crewed during the show and Tessa Lee, who was responsible for the props, down to the “authentic” box of cornflakes. There was some imaginative staging that helped overcome the number of different scenes in the play.
I know that the lighting in the Memorial Hall is not ideal so all credit to Steve Hunt and Sue Hickson who made the most of the facilities available to them. Sound was ably handled by Tom Barber.
Costumes and hairstyles were spot on for the era – I noticed they were sourced from a number of neighbouring Societies, which means a lot of work from the Costume team of Ruth Holdsworth, Heather Appleton, Christine Ward and Jo Wright. Well done.
Finally, huge congratulations to the writer and Director, Keith Burton. He wrote and brought to life, helped by an excellent cast and crew, a fascinating insight into this little know story from the Second World War.
As always this was a first class production from Pateley Bridge Dramatic Society. Thank you for your hospitality and I can’t wait to see you back in your Playhouse home.
Bryan Craven, NODA North East Regional Representative
Photographs by Ian Peacock