The Play Produced

GOOD MORNING,BILL! By P G Wodehouse

WHITE LIGHT

Bolton Little Theatre is now PLOT in its 72nd season and

Written in 1927, it was later presents an average of ten adapted by Wodehouse into a productions each year. The novel, Doctor Sally. It relates premises consist of two the story of Bill Paradene and auditoria; a 160-seater his journey along the path ofconventional proscenium arch true love. theatre and a 60-seater black

Act I is set in the Esplanade box studio theatre. Good Hotel , where Bill and his current Morning, Bill was presented on attachement, Lottie are staying. the Main Stage. His old friend, Lord Tidmouth (Squiffy) arrives to return an

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24 Amateur Stage OCTOBE?

began, Two men and two girls of similar playing age (30/40) and Sir Hugo (50/60) carry the play, The maid and pageboy make brief appearances in Act I only, but ~eaturec\ 'm tne major scene change,

REHEARSALS Three rehearsals

each week for seven weeks, with time spent on a dance routine for Tidmouth and

unlucky umbrella borrowed from Bill ten years earlier.

Bm tells Squiffy about the girl on the links, with whom he is besotted. Lottie throws a tantrum on being given the brush-off and a doctor is called. 'She' arrives, for she is a she; she is in fact , the girl on the links. Bill's declaration of love is snubbed and the doctor departs.

Acts II and III take us to Bill's country pile in Woollam Chersey. Joining us there is Sir Hugo Drake, one the Wodehouse's nerve specialists, Bill and the doctor find love through a common keenness for work, and the final curtain sees happy endings for all.

The play is out of print and permission was given by the publishers to photocopy scripts from the only available copy, Obtaining the rights was a further complication, with a six­month search encompassing London, New York and back to _ondon,

CASTING Casting was by aUdition and,

,,'ter a few changes, rehearsals

Lottie before rehearsals began. The play breaks down into several scenes involving two actors so it can be rehearsed in pieces, then slotted together,

SCENERY The play is in three acts; Act I

- the hotel suite, and Acts II and III - Bill 's country house. As we only wanted one interval and the scene change after Act I was only thirty minutes into the play, a decision was made to split Act II and have an evening of two halves. This meant that the scene had to be changed in front of the audience, This became part of the action with stage crew dressed appropriately and the made and the pageboy being utilised,

We had a permanent set, neutrally painted black, white and grey, with a very effective black and white chequerboard floor, The stage was furnished with white, cast-iron tables and chairs and we distinguished between settings by using black cushions and floor-length black tablecloths for the hotel,

removing the cloths and introducing many large plants to create a conservatory at the country house, The first scene had copies of Art Deco Cigarette boxes, enlarged as wall hangings,

LlGKl'lKG A very simple plot, using a

brightly lit cyclorama for the seaside, The opening scene was stunning with the maid silhouetted on the balcony of the first floor hotel room lit from behind, For Acts II and III , a flat was wheeled into position to Change the balcony into a wood panelled hall beyond the conservatory and lighting changed to indoor effect.

COSTUMES These were carefully chosen

to reflect the twenties; smart and well-fitting for the men, plus-fours for Sir Hugo, severe professional garb for the doctor and a wide range of gaudy outfits for Lottie. The men's silk dressing gowns and tennis clothes for the breakfast scene evoked the atmosphere of the period,

MUSIC Noel Coward orchestral

pieces were used for mood music; jazz band music for the onstage dance routine and music from a wind-up brass­horned gramophone provided the specified song, Remember,

Special Effects and Props The gramophone was a

substitute for the script requirement of Tidmouth playing the piano and singing, Lottie is required to smash a tray of crockery during a tantrum, Cheap, white china was purchased and art-deco designs quickly added with a felt-tipped pen. A rocking

horse is required; a golf bag with putter and mashie niblick as well as a doctor's bag with a set of instruments,

SUMMARY It was a great adventure

tracking down this 'lost' play

and our aud'iences enjoyed the performance of a play by a well-known author that had not seen the light of day within living memory, Playing time was two hours including a twenty-minute interval, It went at a cracking pace, generating many laughs, The play attracted large audiences and the PG Wodehouse Society attended the final performance, This was preceded in the afternoon by a workshop on the playas a novel and greatly added to the appreciatior:1 of the piece,

If any society wishes to have sight of the script, or discuss the play, please contact either Sandra Simpson the play's director, or Andrew Close, Artistic Director, at Bolton Little Theatre ,

Production photos by Moya Welding.

All scripts, scores and libretti featured in 'The Play Produced'

and 'The Musical Produced' can be obtained from

H RV I NG .\H"H .l,I" TH[ A T lt e 'i "Ie .. ' e~'1

Music and scripts available for all. Discounts for members

Tel: 0870 770 2480 Fax: 0870 770 2490

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::>CTOBER Amateur Stage 25