A peculiar, yet enjoyable production with the bizarre characters provided a field day for the 10-strong cast.
Billed as a comic farce, the script of Fools had more than a hint of panto and, at times, la leaning towards Spike Milligan’s super silliness. The bizarre characters provided a field day for the 10-strong cast. The Linchpin of whom was Nick Turrell , as dotty Dr Zubritsky, whose energy effervesced throughout.
David Martin as Leon Tolchinsky, played the latest in a long line of teachers whose aim was to educate the doctor’s daughter Sophia, played beautifully by Rebecca Matthews. Sophia was pursued by both her teacher and the cunning Count Gregor, over-acted wonderfully by Tim Hands in a cross between the villain in a Victorian melodrama and a pantomime baddie. An the audience responded with obligatory hisses and boos.
Alice Watts was an air-headed postie, David Booker as a daft shepherd, Andrew Maltman as a bonkers butcher, Barbara Lloyd as a mad merchant, Anna Buckley as the doctor’s wife and Tony Ruscoe as the magistrate, contributed equally to this peculiar, yet enjoyable production.
(Edited from and article by Gordon Birch)