"A Voyage Round My Father"

A Voyage Round My Father
by
John Mortimer

March 19th. to 28th. 1998

Newspaper Crit.

REVIEW A Voyage Round My Father

A Voyage Round My Father must be one of the most challenging productions so far for Ross Operatic and Dramatic Society.
With its large cast, minimalist set and lack of action it was a production that was demanding of those both on stage and behind the scenes. Like Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood, it was a challenge the members rose to admirably. In common with Under Milk Wood, this was a play, written by John Mortimer of Rumpole of the Bailey fame, that focused on the spoken word, rather than dramatic action.
Given the constraints of stage size at the Phoenix Theatre, the difficulties of this production were minimal, proving once again how versatile ROADS members can be.
Mortimer's play is autobiographical, recalling both his own life and that of his father, a proud man whose sudden, accidental blindness was barely acknowledged, it is an amusing, touching play about growing up, ambition, pride and courage.
It is a play which is made up of a series of vignettes, held together by the author's narration. The largest part, of Mortimer himself, was played with maturity and insight by James Lee-Hynes. With just the right amount of wry expression, he stood outside the action as narrator and stepped in with assurance for his parts in the action
Huge credit is also due to former school teacher Alf Harding as the father, who was required by his role to make some scathing comments about the teaching profession. His bombastic, cantankerous portrayal of an intelligent man forced to rely on others to be his eyes after a freak accident was excellent. And he was well supported by the easy stage presence of Barbara Morley Jones, as his long suffering wife. The stage at the Phoenix Theatre is something of a second home to Barbara and she was well cast in a role that made the most of her talents.
Members of Junior ROADS, Valery D'Arcy, Sarah Hicks and Liam Lee-Hynes, once again excelled themselves, proving the quality of the up and coming talent in and around Ross-on-Wye.
A number of actors doubled up during the production. In particular, Richard Mayo who showed the versatility for which he is becoming well known, Graham Isle whose cameo roles were delightful and the irascible Tony Heseltine whose stage presence is unrivalled.
The only slight blot on the landscape of this charming production was the extent to which stage hands were needed to alter the minimalist props into alternative sets. It was here that the constraints of space on stage were all too apparent, even though the adjustments were carried out with minimum fuss. It was impossible to separate the set alterations from the action and the interruptions slowed the pace of an otherwise excellent production.
A Voyage Round My Father is showing until Saturday March 28 at the Phoenix Theatre, Ross-on-Wye.

Kate Tonge - Hereford Journal, Wednesday, 25th. March 1998

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