ADC Theatre
Wednesday 3 - Saturday 6 November
Dir. Robyn Hoedemaker; CUADC

Three Stars

This is the end-of-term play for all those who have performed in or watched other plays throughout the term and want to laugh at the absurdities of the acting world. Dahling You Were Marvellous is set in a London restaurant, the favourite haunt of all those on the theatre and film scene; and Stephen Berkoff's stylised comedy pokes fun at the ridiculous pretensions of thespians, whilst also contemplating the superficiality and insecurity of the lifestyle. The set well reflects the play's message: beneath the glamorous veneer of smoke plumes, champagne magnums and silk dresses, lie unhappy, unfulfilled and lonely characters.

Hoedemaker's set certainly created the right ambiance, and the jazz pianist was a right choice to set the mood – he could even have played more frequently. For such a big cast, the overall standard of acting was incredibly high. Many of the actors had to showcase their acting talent by playing multiple parts. The French waitress, the actresses playing ‘The Three Sisters' and the film star desperate to get ‘that cute British accent' were all played brilliantly. It is just as well that James Sharpe was not elected Union President on Monday as it would only have denied him the chance of pursuing the undoubtedly long and prolific career which lies ahead of him as a comic actor; without overdoing it or falling into any typical clichés, Sharpe played the aristocratic British director to a tee.

The cast was very strong and embraced the ensemble nature of the piece. There were a few typical first-night technical glitches but, when the lights did snap to and from tables efficiently, the effect was very dramatic. Due to the fast pace of the piece, the actors, at times, seemed a little slow with their cues. The major criticism though would not be with the performance but the script itself. There was a constant feeling that the plot was on the verge of taking off, but it never actually did. To an extent this works well, as it reflects the huge inactivity in the acting world, but it would be more successful if Berkoff had developed some of the storylines more and had a clearer idea of the shape of the piece as a whole.

Nevertheless, the cast acted each individual character within any given scene with great panache - luckily so, given the script.

Victoria Ball