welcome to the grange playersThe Playhouse is the home of the Grange Players Ltd, an award winning, non-profit-making organisation registered as a charity, celebrating their 72nd season.
Since our formation in 1951 it has been the company’s aim to encourage local interest in drama and put on productions that have entertained and stimulated our audiences for generations. |
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important notices
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reviews
Read some our reviews from Behind the Arras
A Month of SundaysThis is a beautiful acted, wonderfully funny, painfully sad piece of theatre, sensitively directed by Kerry Jones on a fine directorial debut and setting an incredibly high bar for the rest of the new season.
The Dixie Swim ClubEverything is well lit by Stan Vigurs to give us that August summer light while the sound design, from Colin Mears and Waters again, gives a soundscape of cars arriving, seashore noises and even hurricane winds which add to the scenes without ever drowning dialogue. And speaking of dialogue, although I have been to North Carolina and the Outer Banks in my time, I am no expert on American accents, which probably goes for most of the audience, but the cast sounded American, which is all that is important, and, even more important, the accents were consistent. Dialogue also brought one of my favourite quirky moments late in the first act when the only prompt of the evening was needed and Libby M, the prompt according to the programme, did her job splendidly . . . in an American accent! I just loved that.
go back for murder
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My Cousin RachelLynne Youngs direction keeps everything on track and brings out the emotions and layers underlying du Maurier’s plot to keep interest going. Stan Vigurs’ lighting was clever with oil lamps being blown out and lanterns lighting stairways as Philip passed, along with setting early morning, daytime and evening scenes while director Lynne Young and Joe Young created an authentic looking set
Relatively SpeakingDirector David Stone has kept up a cracking pace with a cast who know the value of a telling pause and knowing look to enhance effect. And there has to be a mention for the set, built by Rob Onions, Joe Young, Mr G and Sue Groves. We have Ginny’s drab poky, studenty flat with a tiny bed where intimacy is the only way two people can fit in, then off we go to the splendid garden terrace of The Willows with its solid white walls topped by masses of realistic looking flowers in a real cottage garden effect. You could almost smell the blooms!
ConfusionsThe six actors cannot be faulted with some wonderful comic performances with hats, wigs and glasses, along with rapid changes of clothes (dresser Anne Chamberlain) and some fine acting bringing the 20 characters to splendid life, each new entrant different and distinctive with Simpkin and James, in every scene, particularly effective.
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