2025 - You Can't Take It With You and A Spy With A View
We would like to thank everyone who came along to our May production, A Spy with a View by Cheryl Barrett and You Can't Take it with You by Robert Scott. We appreciate your support.
The Review of A Spy with a View and You Can’t Take it With You by Ellyn Wright
The Russell Players returned to the Swallowfield stage with a double bill that left us all eyeing our loved ones a little differently thanks to two contrasting one-act plays, both skilfully directed by Mitch Mitchell.
Firstly, there’s nothing like being on holiday and enjoying a bit of rest, relaxation and – rain? Yes, in ‘A Spy with a View’ by Robert Scott, what should have been an idyllic trip to Spain has been derailed by a downpour. And things go from bad to worse for the bickering couple; Vicky (Sarah Mapleston) and David (Henry Finney) when the mysterious hotel worker Paula (Lynn Wright) burdens them with a suspicious briefcase, and an even stranger set of instructions.
Lumped with this luggage, the duo debates how best to handle the situation. One disastrous disguise (think ‘Brit abroad’ on steroids), a self-destructing tape and an exploding toilet later, this once-boring holiday has certainly turned around.
That’s not the only twist in this short one act play, as the couple gear up for a rendezvous with the ominously-named ‘Dr Yes’. But I’m afraid that if I revealed to you the final thrilling moments of this mission, I’m afraid I would have to kill you…
Following a delicious light supper courtesy of the Front of House team, the curtain opened on the second play of the evening, You Can’t Take It With You by Cheryl Barrett.
And it was a story that sadly, many will know too well; as the bickering relatives of late Uncle Fred descend on his Chelsea property like vultures. There’s Carol (Lynn Wright), who spends most of her time and dubiously sourced funds on cruising with her third husband Richard (Henry Finney). Her sister Pauline (Sarah Mapleston) is no better, as the pair ransack rooms and tear up furnishings in search of hidden treasures.
Their virtuous cousin Susan (Charis Luke) offers a much-needed dose of decency, as do the kindly and somewhat kooky neighbours Charles (Glyn Marshall) and Doris (Trish Harris). When Mr Birchwood (Mitch Mitchell) the solicitor, arrives to formally read Uncle Fred’s last will and testament, there’s shock, surprises and a satisfying ending that had us all thinking ‘good riddance’.
It was another exceptional outing for The Russell Players; we’re lucky to have such a dedicated and talented team of actors, stage and tech crew bringing live theatre to life right here in Swallowfield.
PHOTO'S FROM A SPY WITH A VIEW.
PHOTO'S FROM YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU
