Review by Steve Taylor - Village Journal, June, 2009

'Dangerous Corner', the first of J.B. Priestley's 'Time Plays', is at once a portrait of middle class moeurs, and an

exploration of one of those pivotal points in time when an action or a choice can set in motion two alternative

chains of events – one banal, the other tragic. As it were, Alan Ayckbourn laced with Stephen Hawking. The pivot

in question here is the opening (or not opening) of a musical cigarette box, mysteriously linked to a suicide, and

Let's start with the set. It was a stunning evocation of a 1930s drawing room, with loving attention to detail - Art

Deco mirror, Bakelite wireless set, dial telephone, soda siphon… Centre stage was a magnificent chaise longue

(knocked up by designer John Graham from the remains of an old sideboard in his garage). Then the costumes

(created by Valerie Langley) the hair and make up (Sue Cross, Judy Owen, Sue Bendall, Maggie Carpenter) and

the props (Veronica Thorn and Christine Parnham). All beautifully observed.

Six characters prowled around this drawing room and each other, trying to herd the cats that were let out of the

bag when the cigarette box was opened. Tortured, cynical Freda (Rebecca Bryce) is in a loveless marriage with

Robert (Peter Ellis) who is as unaware of his wife's misery as he is oblivious to Olwen's (Kate Morley) infatuation

with him.

Gordon's (Michael Berkley) and Betty's (Georgina

Cooper) marriage is also built on a lie, while Charles

(Simon Medd) frankly admits that it was he who stole

the money. There's a murder lurking in there too, we

are hardly surprised to learn, and another suicide,

some adulterous dalliance and a hint of

homosexuality – daring for the 30s eh? What a

treasure trove for garrulous gossip-gleaning novelist

Miss Mockridge (Moira Shapland).

It would be invidious to single out any one of the cast

for special praise. All were superb, as were Echo

Irving's fluent and assured direction and the crew

who did all the technical stuff behind the scenes.

And if the cigarette box had not been opened? Then

the evils of the world would not have spilled out, and none of the characters would have been any the wiser. And

ST

                 

                          

                       Photos by Papa Ratzo: 

   l to r: Moira Shapland, RebeccaBryce, Peter Ellis, Michael Berkley,Georgina Cooper, Kate Morley Simon Medd take a bow.