Losing The Plot

Written, Composed and Directed by Keith Burton

What a wonderful evening I had on my first visit to a packed Playhouse at Pateley Bridge.  I was there to see the zany musical ‘Losing the Plot’ written entirely by Playhouse member Keith Burton.  There was a very large cast on stage to entertain us, many of them apparently new to the society.  The musical deals with the issue of cheating at a local flower and produce show with sub plots of a child given away and money laundering.  You see what I mean when I say ‘zany’!

The ensemble was a set of adult sized sunflowers.  Their earnest little faces inside their sunflower headdresses were so appealing and there were some excellent singing voices coming from behind the petals.  The tall sunflower, Chris Iredale, never spoke but gave a wonderfully expressive performance.  The sunflowers all made the most of their musical numbers.  Sweet helianthus was a super performance from them.

Songs and dialogue were delivered with great confidence and conviction by all the cast, and some of them had very funny lines.  The lyrics and dialogue were packed with jokes and double entendre and this had the local audience in stitches.  ‘What the … fork.’  Connie Richards and Darryl Hall rendered a heartfelt love song, First Kiss while being ‘frozen to the marrow’, which was a very funny moment.  Sally Smith, as Cilla had some very funny lines in Act 2 and Carol Bailey and Jerry Harvey held the piece together as Mr and Mrs Parker-Knowle.

All the principals were well matched to their roles and costuming was very good.  I would also like to pay special mention to the scenery painting, by Helen Voisey.  The orangery in Act 1 was excellent, but it was then surpassed when the curtains opened on Act 2; a well-tended allotment complete with artichokes, peas and scarlet runners, all beautifully executed.

This musical was a massive undertaking for the writer.   Overall, I felt that the dialogue and the lyrics worked better than some of the tunes.  But there were some excellent musical numbers.  I loved Gardeners Hate Snails and the Blah, Blah, Blah number was genius.  I have never seen ‘paper-ography’ before but it worked brilliantly.  This number must have been written by someone who has spent too long in boring meetings.  It was hilarious.

A special well done and congratulations to musical director and accompanist Hilary Dexter for her skill and calm proficiency.   Also, congratulations to the back stage, technical and front of house team.  The show ran seamlessly to provide a wonderful evening’s entertainment for your audiences.

Thank you for inviting me, I look forward to the next time.

Jay Cundell Walker, NODA

Photographs by Chris Iredale and Jerry Harvey