13-14 December 1946, Orpington Civic Hall
Running for two nights, Noah was the first play performed after World War 2 that we can date for sure. It was produced by what was then the Chelsfield Village Hall Dramatic Society, although the reviewer was happy to call the Society by the name it has used since 1951: Chelsfield Players.
The show was performed at Orpington Civic Halls (later Crofton Halls) as there was as yet no village hall in Chelsfield. The play was favourably reviewed by The Orpington Journal (but the venue was not) and made a profit of £28 11/6.
Running for two nights, Noah was the first play performed after World War 2 that we can date for sure. It was produced by what was then the Chelsfield Village Hall Dramatic Society, although the reviewer was happy to call the Society by the name it has used since 1951: Chelsfield Players.
The show was performed at Orpington Civic Halls (later Crofton Halls) as there was as yet no village hall in Chelsfield. The play was favourably reviewed by The Orpington Journal (but the venue was not) and made a profit of £28 11/6.
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Review in the Orpington Journal
Chelsfield Players at Civic Hall present play by French author On Friday and Saturday 13th and 14th December, the Chelsfield Players gave a performance of “Noah,” a play by the French author, Andre Obey, which, to quote Mr. Wharrier, the adjudicator of the British Drama League Festival, was “well worth seeing.” In spite of the many disadvantages of the Civic Hall – the chilly and comfortless auditorium, the lack of a cyclorama and the inadequate facilities for a flexible use of the lighting and for fixing the scenery – the performance was very creditable. Mr. Wharrier expressed appreciation of the adventurous choice of play, the endeavours to prevent monotony by varied lighting and changes of scenery, and the technical excellence of the production. No detail was neglected which might assist in producing the desired effect. In particular the incidental music was well chosen and reflected the mood of the play, and attention paid to details in the scenery helped to produce a convincing atmosphere. Outstanding Acting The subordinate characters – for whom there was little scope for individual acting – worked well together as a team and helped considerably in rounding off the general effect. Colin George, “an actor of outstanding ability” as the adjudicator described him, gave a highly successful rendering of the title role. Another outstanding character was Eric Hart, the producer, who took the part of “The Man” at a day’s notice. His make-up and acting were held to be more effective than in the professional production. Beryl Sherratt, as Mrs. Noah, gave significance to a part which is normally unimportant. Harold Hart was convincing as Ham, the cynic and mutineer and he was ably supported by Jimmy Dean and Tony Hollands as Shem and Japheth. The three girls, Ada, Naomi and Bella, destined to marry the sons of Noah and ultimately to be the progenitors of the white, black and yellow races, were played with feeling by Janet Loraine, Evelyn Humphreys and Dorothy Orme. V. St. C. Tomalin, J. Gallagher, Sylvia Brewer, Doreen Frederick, Maud Vincent, Dorothy Higgins and Pamela Hayward played the parts of the animals. Special credit was given for originality and effectiveness of the costumes and animal masks, which were not hired from a costumier but designed and executed by one of the members, Aida Day. The lighting was under the direction of Messrs. Parker, Winsborough and Tullock; while the effects, which were specially commended, were arranged by G. Jarvis. Mr. and Mrs. J. Taylor designed the scenery, which was skilfully built-up and painted by C. Nash, C. Frederick, J. Dean, H. Ellis and F. Towler. Len Walker, the stage manager, contributed to the success of the performance by his skilful organisation of the scene shifters, which reduced the waits between scenes to a minimum. Eric Hart, the producer, who received a well-deserved ovation, endorsed the remarks of the adjudicator on the drawbacks of the Civic Hall. He said that N.W. Kent had no theatre suitable for the production of Drama League Festival plays. The Civic Hall was large enough for the purpose, and if the audience would only bring pressure to bear on their Councillors to have the many defects remedied as soon as possible, Orpington might yet be able to fill a widely-needed want. |
Cast
Noah Colin George Mrs. Noah Beryl Sherratt Shem Jimmy Dean Ham Harold Hart Japheth Tony Hollands Naomi Evelyn Humphreys Sella Dorothy Orme Ada Janet Loraine The Man Eric Hart* The Bear V. St. C. Tomalin The Lion Jack Gallagher The Tiger Sylvia Brewer The Monkey Doreen Fredrick The Elephant Eric Hart* The Cow Maud Vincent The Lamb Dorothy Higgens The Wolf Pamela Hayward Crew Producer (director) Eric Hart Stage Manager Len Walker Lighting AT Parker, F Wensborough, WA Tulloch Set Design J&W Taylor Set construction Cecil Fredrick, E Deane, H Ellis, F Tow Effects G Jarvis Costumes Aida Day * The playbill lists Robin Locke as playing ‘The Man’ and ‘The Elephant’ but the review states that Eric Hart took on the former role “at a day’s notice” and does not mention Locke among those playing the animals, so we presume Locke pulled out of the play entirely. |
