A BUNCH OF AMATEURS? YOU MUST BE JOKING!

How do you take Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ the greatest ‘Tragedy’ ever written and turn it into a side-splitting comedy, laced with expletives? This is what Ian Hislop and Nick Newman have done with ‘A Bunch of Amateurs’, Woodcote Amateur Dramatic Society’s Spring production for 2025. In so doing, the authors have presented the amateur society brave enough to perform it, with formidable acting challenges, calling for the pathos of tragedy alongside the timing and delivery of comic lines to render the audience helpless with mirth. I have long admired our local am-dram group, low on members but high on talent and enthusiasm. Never has this been better illustrated than in this production.

The play tells the story of washed-up Hollywood action hero Jefferson Steel, who hopes to reignite his waning career by accepting an invitation to play King Lear at Stratford. But he discovers on his arrival in England that he will not be performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company, but with the Stratford Players at Stratford St. John in Suffolk, who hope that Steel’s presence in their production will help raise money to save the local theatre from being bulldozed for executive homes.

In casting the role of the obnoxious, foul-mouthed American, rude and condescending, and yet emotionally fragile, you might not have thought of Terry Sopp, but Terry turned the role of Jefferson Steel into a personal triumph, demonstrating his versatility, making, as ever, the best of every comic opportunity, while exhibiting the depth of Lear’s despair and Steel’s insecurities. The American accent was authentic Hollywood and Terry somehow coped well with the physical demands of the role, which were quite significant.

A star performance by an individual also requires back-up from the other actors to make the production a success and the cast did not disappoint. Chloe Spiers as Steel’s feisty, disaffected daughter, again with an authentic American accent, was on top form as she poured scorn on her father’s parenting and on his egocentricity. Heather Simpson, a WADS regular, was very well cast as the down-to-earth Dorothy, Director of ‘Lear’, mild-mannered and selfless on the surface but with a steely determination to save her beloved theatre.

Nigel, the local Solicitor and leading light of the Stratford Players was the perfect part for newcomer to the WADS, Paul Studd. Paul played to near perfection the pompous and self-regarding solicitor, who believes, despite the presence of Steel, that he should play Lear. James Mathers was effective in the role of Denis, the rather dull village handyman, who starstruck by Jefferson, dreamed of adventure as head of the star’s entourage. The part of Lauren was a perfect fit for WADS regular, Helen Coyne. The glamourous marketing executive and physiotherapist, wife of the group’s sponsor and patron of the arts who helps to provide one of the comic highlights as her massage of Jefferson is misinterpreted as a sex-romp by Mary, the star’s obsessive fan. Natalia Moreno-Ruiz gave yet another terrific performance as Mary, owner of the Rectory bed and breakfast; generous, biddable, naïve and simperingly adoring of Jefferson Steele — although confused about which roles he played in his films and petulant after witnessing the physio session!

There were also cameo roles, well observed, for John Worsfold, Janice Chaffey and Alice Benskin as the paparazzi trailing Jefferson seeking a sensational story. Another interesting feature of the play was the opportunity it provided for most of the cast to test their acting ‘mettle’ with some Shakespearean dialogue, a test they passed with flying
colours.

Of course, this play is essentially a comedy, and, unlike King Lear, it all comes good in the end. It’s a painful transition for Jefferson who discovers some humility, is reconciled with his daughter and acknowledges the amateur actors as equals. It was a brave choice of play made even more so by the fact it was chosen by the debutante Director, Gillian Fowmes and her co-Director, Marcia Spiers. Both deserve congratulations for bringing the very best out of their actors. As ever, the backstage crew worked their magic, Dan and Theo Scott with the Lighting and Sound, Sandra Evans, Set Design and Sandy Worsfold, Costumes. The WADS have set a very high standard with this production which they may find difficult to follow, but that’s for another time! This time they brought the house down with uncontrollable laughter! A bunch of amateurs? I don’t think so!

Sam Peates