" Listen Very Carefully...I Will Say This Only Once..."
"
'All! Allo!" .....
Classic comedy on BBC TV: This one was always a favourite.
SO...when the stage version (Jeremy Lloyd, David Croft) was produced by Upton Dramatic Soc ( http://www.uptondrama.soc/) we wanted to go......AND it was also a great excuse to dress up! ( see snap)
The Village Hall stage was set as Rene's Cafe ( true to original TV set) as was Hall itself...with audience seated around check-clothed tables...but other smaller stages appeared in corners of the Hall: Herr Flick's Quarters, Colonel von Strohm's Office... this meant almost everyone was up-close to at least some of the action.... a fun idea, which both enhanced atmosphere/ involved audience ...
Some great cameos: Michael Fair as Rene Artois ( superb!!) Sylvia Jenkins as his "passionate" wife ( in bed, plastered in face cream/cucumbers) Ana Coelho-Neves, a strapping blonde Helga, who stripped off with aplomb ...but Listen Very Carefully: I could go on..it was GREAT!
And thinking of Comedy: this week, Maggie Jones died ( Blanche Hunt of " Corrie") a brilliant actress/natural Comedienne, who had been ill since October. Maggie made Blanche a Street Star: her withering haughty looks, her brittle one-liners will be long remembered......
WHO, for example, can forget Blanche's acid aside to daughter Deirdre : "Good looks are a curse, Deirdre. You and Kenneth should count yourself lucky" and to the hapless but pompous Kenneth, returning from his Uni Reunion (50 yrs on) : "DID you tell them you washed cups up in a caff...for a woman who used to be called Harold??"
And of course, there was Maggie's description of Liz ( glam 50-odd Landlady of The Rovers Return) : "She's skirt no bigger than a belt, too much eyeliner...and her roots as dark as her soul" ...
Maggie created a strong Northern battleaxe: in the style of Corrie predessors, women like Ena Sharples, Annie Walker....and in the same mould as some of Alan Bennett's marvellous Yorkshire women.
I, for one, will miss Maggie's superb portrayal of Blanche Hunt....Maggie, creating Blanche's unique take on life..
P.S: AND I wonder: WHEN will Blanche's jailbird granddaughter, Tracy, be released from her cell??? ( See my post Sept 20th 2007, re Kate Ford , alias Tracy Barlow, attending my son's wedding...to the sheer delight of my lovely nephew Tom!)
'All! Allo!" .....Classic comedy on BBC TV: This one was always a favourite.
SO...when the stage version (Jeremy Lloyd, David Croft) was produced by Upton Dramatic Soc ( http://www.uptondrama.soc/) we wanted to go......AND it was also a great excuse to dress up! ( see snap)
The Village Hall stage was set as Rene's Cafe ( true to original TV set) as was Hall itself...with audience seated around check-clothed tables...but other smaller stages appeared in corners of the Hall: Herr Flick's Quarters, Colonel von Strohm's Office... this meant almost everyone was up-close to at least some of the action.... a fun idea, which both enhanced atmosphere/ involved audience ...
Some great cameos: Michael Fair as Rene Artois ( superb!!) Sylvia Jenkins as his "passionate" wife ( in bed, plastered in face cream/cucumbers) Ana Coelho-Neves, a strapping blonde Helga, who stripped off with aplomb ...but Listen Very Carefully: I could go on..it was GREAT!
And thinking of Comedy: this week, Maggie Jones died ( Blanche Hunt of " Corrie") a brilliant actress/natural Comedienne, who had been ill since October. Maggie made Blanche a Street Star: her withering haughty looks, her brittle one-liners will be long remembered......
WHO, for example, can forget Blanche's acid aside to daughter Deirdre : "Good looks are a curse, Deirdre. You and Kenneth should count yourself lucky" and to the hapless but pompous Kenneth, returning from his Uni Reunion (50 yrs on) : "DID you tell them you washed cups up in a caff...for a woman who used to be called Harold??"
And of course, there was Maggie's description of Liz ( glam 50-odd Landlady of The Rovers Return) : "She's skirt no bigger than a belt, too much eyeliner...and her roots as dark as her soul" ...
Maggie created a strong Northern battleaxe: in the style of Corrie predessors, women like Ena Sharples, Annie Walker....and in the same mould as some of Alan Bennett's marvellous Yorkshire women.
I, for one, will miss Maggie's superb portrayal of Blanche Hunt....Maggie, creating Blanche's unique take on life..
P.S: AND I wonder: WHEN will Blanche's jailbird granddaughter, Tracy, be released from her cell??? ( See my post Sept 20th 2007, re Kate Ford , alias Tracy Barlow, attending my son's wedding...to the sheer delight of my lovely nephew Tom!)
posted by Jan at 9:38 am
7 Comments:
Whether it's am dram in Upton or Corrie on telly it's all in the characters isn't it? Wish I could come up with a few only half as good in my short stories!
Helen:
What sort of stuff do you write? That's a Leading Question...!
Upton village hall is very versatile. It certainly puts ours to shame.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Cheshire Wife:
I'm now wondering WHICH is your village Hall?!
Not Upton, but I do often go to events in Upton village hall.
Cheshire Wife:
Maybe Iv'e sat behind you/in front of you/beside you??!!
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