Pleasant Comedy At Risingholme

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31761, 19 August 1968, Page 18

Pleasant Comedy At Risingholme

“Goodnight Mrs Puffin.” A comedy produced by Neta Neale for Risingholme Theatre at Risingholme Tonight and tomorrow night at 8 p.m.

What would you do if a strange woman appeared on your doorstep and said she had seen, in a dream, everything that was going to happen to your family in the next week? This is the situation faced by the Fordyce family when the Cockney, Mrs Puffin, looking like a superannuated Mary Poppins, rings the doorbell and says, “You know that wedding you’re ‘avin’ next week? Well you ain’t!”

For once the predictability of the plot was part of the fun, and, in spite of unnecessary repetition and padding, the play’s one situation proved capable of keeping the audience smiling and laughing throughout. The production “did the play real proud,” as Mrs Puffin might well have said. The characterisations were all plausible, especially the five men; the dialogue was always clear and racy; and movement brought a pleasant variety of stage pictures which contributed to the sense of the action. Rita O’Neil created a lovable, human Mrs Puffin, whose natural simplicity and directness, spiced with Cockney humour, helped make the Fordyce family’s emotional fireworks more amusing. This was a clever performance, missing none of the possibilities for inflection or facial expression. The men were all convincing. with Terry Swanson

working hard with rather thankless lines, and Chris Hovel 1 creating an impressive character very quickly and economically. The women were adequate, but not strong actresses. Pat Clease had the best, and perhaps easiest part, as the distraught mother. “Good night Mrs Puffin” is good family entertainment, efficiently and effectively staged, competently acted, and pleasantly funny from beginning to end. —P. R. S.