Comic fare in The Ladykillers slays Hope theatre company's audiences

A stage adaptation of the 1955 film The Ladykillers was a delight all round.
By Valda Dagnell
Published 5th Dec 2019, 07:03 BST
Updated 5th Dec 2019, 07:36 BST
HADIT's production of The Ladykillers at Hope Methodist Hall.HADIT's production of The Ladykillers at Hope Methodist Hall.
HADIT's production of The Ladykillers at Hope Methodist Hall.

Hope Amateur Dramatic Independent Theatre’s (HADIT) production had everything which an audience needs for a great night out – a storyline most improbable, a set that defied the limitations of the village’s Methodist Hall stage with an upstairs, downstairs, kitchen, roof top and even a railway tunnel, and a truly motley crew of larger than life characters.

This was a strong team, ably coordinated by Paul Archer both off-set as director and on-set as the self-important gang leader who wants this bank robbery to be a work of artistic merit.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

His crew of incompetent criminals were magnificent – Tim Smallwood’s cross-dressing conman, Jon Haddock’s punch-drunk boxer, Jim Driver’s OCD spiv, and Jo Elliot’s cold-blooded killer who’s afraid of the dark – all managed the marrying of farce and comedy while never sacrificing our belief in their characters.

Sue Shearsmith gave a sterling performance as elderly fantasist Mrs Wilberforce, and Martin Chapman deserves a special mention for his dual role as the weary ‘here we go again’ police

officer and as the pretentious leader of the wonderful ‘Loose Collection of Elderly Ladies’ taken in by the gang’s supposedly modern musical performance – worthy of Little Britain!

All praise as always to the back stage crew, and thank you HADIT for enlivening our winter evenings with another unique production. More power to your collective elbows!