Enterprising Group Rises to the Challenge.

This enterprising group has always risen to the challenge of venturing into uncharted theatrical territory ad its latest production is certainly different.

The talented cast of actresses and musicians have worked hard in rehearsal under first-time director Kate Ayres to ensure that all is definitely not all right on the night. It is laugh-out-loud stuff all the way in this hilarious spoof of an am dram's performance of Gilberts and Sullivan's The Mikado.

The unpolished performance from the Guild ladies is a hoot from start to finish, and while musical mayhem erupts on and off stage, the belly laughs from the audience fill the auditorium. The battle between the cast and the orchestra is almost a show on its own.

While some among the audience may have abandoned early on trying to work out what is going on and who is playing whom, suffice to say there were some wonderful performances from the leading players.

Among these are the wonderful Joyce Grenfell-style performance by the talented Julie Bjerregaard as Mrs Reece, trying desperately to keep her head whilst all those around her are losing theirs, Monica Gregory maintaining the dead-pan style as Ko-Ko, the delightful Megan Abbott as Nanki-Poo and the excellent portrayal of Yum-Yum by Susan Power.

The sole male role (poor chap) is played by Player's veteran Peter Fidling who kept us all in stitches as the man in the cloth Reg Bishop.

Just as we once watched the deliberate dreadful piano playing of the late great comic Les Dawson, how we marvelled at how good the Watlington cast are at being 'bad'.

Richard Parr.

June 2009