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The most active amateur company in Cheltenham
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Unmarried sisters share a London flat. Nancy, suddenly redundant, is urged by Nina and their
faithful friend, Max, to find a hobby. Nancy
stumbles into a job modelling for a group of eccentric life-drawing students and
their philandering tutor, Philip. Initially horrified to discover that life-models pose naked, Nancy
is unexpectedly liberated by the experience.
The sisters move towards an inevitable confrontation as Nina faces her
unhappy past and Nancy glimpses at a possible future.
“This wonderful ... play by Amy Rosenthal is an ensemble piece of
immense acuity and pathos” Time
Out
Sitting Pretty The Playhouse
Company
Cheltenham
Playhouse, 13th October 2005
Sizeable audiences can be hard to come by, given the wealth of quality
entertainment in this region, and amateur societies, in particular, must often
wonder if they can roar loudly enough to attract sufficient support. When the
prospect, however, is a sparkling presentation by an enterprising troupe with a
vision for newer and more demanding material, such a roar becomes positively
deafening and merits our full attention.
Displaying commendably professional standards, the Playhouse Company
justifies such interest in this splendid production of Sitting Pretty. The
touching story of depressive shrinking violet Nancy overcoming her sense of
inadequacy and emerging triumphantly from the decayed chrysalis of her past,
receives its Cheltenham première and ranks among the first amateur
presentations of Amy Rosenthal’s play anywhere in Britain. It surely stands
with the finest.
Jan Jones’ slick, well-paced interpretation, featuring a strong cast
playing a diverse host of Bohemian beatniks who populate the world of
avant-garde art, is an absorbing tribute to the determined human spirit in its
quest for self-realisation. Sumptuously lit with all the colourful warmth of a Vincent van Gogh original, every individual is played with considerable presence, from the leading lady down to the lah-di-dah also-rans who spend their time behind an easel in Phil’s studio, where Steve Evans exudes an awesome charisma as their philandering teacher. Graham Ross is hilarious as Mr. Gumby-type drip Martin, while Janine Hornsby’s snappy portrayal of straight-talking malcontent Zelda is a veritable highlight. Ian Greenwood provides a wonderful cameo as chirpy, clueless Max, but the mood gradually darkens as Catherine Marshall turns in an immensely powerful performance as the increasingly embittered Nina, who becomes acutely resentful at her sister’s growing self-confidence and renewed sense of purpose. Honours are equally shared by Carol Meredith and her team for the stunningly clever yet simplistic set, but Queen of the Day is Sue Bennett as Nancy, who throws all caution to the wind at the opportunity to pose for an art class. She scarcely has to come on stage, and audience expectations become even more intense.
Yet even as Nancy’s own psychological odyssey unfolds, we find
ourselves all being drawn into her poignant quest for personal fulfilment.
Ignore any mere oil on canvas; Sitting Pretty is an uncompromising study
in real life, where we are all models being painted, our lives laid bare, and
asking ourselves the profound question “Just who are we?”
Top quality theatre is alive and well in Cheltenham – and the bonus
with outstanding presentations like this one is that there are no surcharges
payable to the cast and crew for staging them. Simon
Lewis for BBC Radio Gloucestershire
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© The Playhouse Company Cheltenham, UK |
About the Show: 
