"Chronicles" good fun

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33649, 26 September 1974, Page 16

"Chronicles" good fun

“The I rp Chronicles,” written and produced by Jerry Burke and Allan Hawes. A Grimes Street production. Ngaio Marsh Theatre, September 25 to 28. Running time. 8 p.m. to 10.45 p.m. (includes concert). “Oh. Arthur. Arthur. . . . Old enough to be my father . . .” wrote the Lirp Chronicler with what is. incidentally,! a strong contender for the best rhyme in the show. And when, much later, after an operatic romp through the courtship habits of the great crested Urps. it looks as if he might actually end up being her father (a delicate touch of Gilbert and Sullivan, this) they drag in a drunken clergyman to bring it all to its decent conclusion. Last year's “Gladys Goldniein" was a big success with its audiences, a very melodramatic opera buffa used as cushioning in a programme of four serious plays. This

year, the authors have been much more enterprising, moving out of Victorian drawing rooms into a variety of exotic locations including a nudist camp, a morgue, and a juke box shop. Contempt for continuity and a general lack of predictability mean that the function 1 of the music has become more complex; almost everything is sung, and very often the music is used to send up the action, as well as providing the generally haphazard atmosphere that is probably the show’s most endearing quality. The cast are all hilarous. Vivien Daley, last year’s Goldmein. again gives a super performance, and Phil Holder, probably the bestknown actor, is used very well to give an illusion of continuing between scenes as well as doing a good job of several utility roles. Tessa Farnsworth is certainly the vocal strength of the cast, and her Fanny Girdle is a good light charac--

ter creation, too. Paul Sonne, who N seen far too seldom on the local stage these days, make a good contrast with Andrew Lee as the Urp sons; both of them draw a lot of laughs, and their period acts are very good. Barrett Littlewood (Urp senior) and Liz Rawlinson as; a miscellaneous girl complete the cast competently.: “The Urp Chronicles” is all good fun, especially in its music. But there is not a full evening’s entertainment in 1 this sort of material (the play’ itself ends at 9.20), and it isj an excellent idea comple-i menting it with a Grimes’ Street gangshow—especially ■ as two of the gang wrote the opera, and another acted as' technical director. The quality of this group is too well known to need mention: the range of their repertoire, their versatility, and their jazz musicianship in particular, and their sense of humour make them a very high quality theatre, group.—H. D, McN,