Time of Your Life

Time of Their Lives

COMEDY has always featured prominently in the repertoire of Wythall Dramatic Society and for their most recent production 'The Time of Your Life' by Wilfred Massey and Clive Gordon they turned from the more sophisticated type of humour to farce.

Whether or not this was a wise choice depends entirely on individual taste but to last week's show one got the impression that the artistes were having to struggle just a little to get their laughs.

However, this was largely due to a somewhat complicated plot.

Leading a matrimonial tangle were Sybil Parr and Irene Price as "Tizzie Goodbody" and "Doris Hopkins," two friends whose respective spouses had secretly conspired to purchase the hotel in which they were spending their holiday.

Phil Lett and Jack Parramore were equally effective as the two husbands while Pam Davey gave a stylish portrayal of the hotel's original owner who was only too anxious to get her property back when she learned that a television company intended to use it as the setting for a 'series'.

Christine Cruxton, a former small-part player the society and now promoted to a leading role, proved her worth as the ‘Goodbody's’ niece while her boy friend was played by Brian Josecelyne.

Gerry Solomon was the trendy television producer and Pauline Jenkins brought glamour to her part as an aspiring 'starlet.’

Wandering in and out of the story was 'Miss Prettyman' - an aged and slightly mad resident of the hotel played by Willa Hislop who made a difficult role one of the most convincing of the evening.

Finally Brenda Castle dealt professionally with the character of `Grandma' and Karen Haste and Julia Timpton, although in non-speaking parts, looked decorative and suitably provocative as two young sun-bathers who drifted in and out of the hotel to the delight of the husbands and the chagrin of their wives.

The show was directed by Val Archer and stage management carried out by Mike Beamish with Andrew Castle, Paul Jenkins and Gerry Smith.

P.K.S, Local Newspaper 1976