Nestled in the burbs of New Farm is a church and in that church is the very vibrant Nash Theatre. Each year they produce a radio play – well, extremely well.
A simple set with actors dressed appropriately for the era (1930’s), mircrophone stands at the front of stage and the ‘On Air’ sign glowing with the “Applause” sign lighting up to remind you that you are part of a studio audience – it is marvelous.
But best of all is the live action foley – set up along the back of the stage were three foley artists and I have to say, the horses and carriage sounds – spot on. Congratulations to Mark Corben, Lara and Emma Latham who entertained us with their enthusiasm, facial expressions and creative techniques – yes, I am still giggling at the Baboon.
I often listen to the Sherlock plays on Spotify and I was pleasantly surprised to hear a new one among the mix; ‘ The case of the Blue Carbuncle ” – hilarious. With the actors playing a range of characters from the vagabond thief to the well educated Sherlock and Watson.
Presenting old time radio shows is a great way to entertain an audience without elaborate sets. The stories rely on the actors ability to react appropriately without props, and once again, director Jason Nash has produced excellent work. The American and English accents on the whole were consistent and added to the believability you truly had stepped back in time to the 1930’s.
The roles of Sherlock and Watson were shared amongst the cast which took each story to a different era and there were some interesting accents. Caleb Hocking’s Watson accent for “A Scandal in Bohemia” was definitely unexpected but very humourous and Bruce Edgerton has definitely found his niche with the different characters you find in radio plays. King of Bohemia suits you Bruce.
Radio plays have advertisements and the cast brought these to life very much reminiscent of an era where entertaining folks was simple and mixed with a good dose of humour.
The actresses on stage, Sandy Adsett, Jenny Bonney-Millett and Kiah Latham were immaculately dressed and authentic with their characters, it definitely was a more glamourous era. Bright red lips, pearls, diamonds, heels and furs, they each delivered applause worthy performances and it is a joy to go to a play where you can hear what people are saying – great diction, accents and expression.
The first story, ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” was delivered with the emotion and mystery that set the actors up for a great show run, drawing in the audience and giving us all the shivers at the end. The stories were broken up by the jingles, which also offered great entertainment.
So if you are looking for good quality well priced entertainment here it is, take along a friend and enjoy the show.
Show runs until the 14 March, at Nash Theatre 52 Merthyr Road, New Farm
Tickets via Trybooking – https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1490448
To book tickets to A Night Of Sherlock Holmes, please visit https://nashtheatre.com/.
