The Eric franchise has hit town once again for its twice-yearly run at the New Vic. Regulars will be pleased to know that the latest offering – Eric’s Christmas Turkey – keeps the faith with its mixture of side-splitting humour and excellently performed music from the 1960s that had its packed audience up on its feet well before the finale.
Eric (David Graham) has been persuaded by wife Bev (Laura Sheppard) to join the local amateur dramatic company that is looking to put on its play The Mysterious Murder at Middleport Manor for the Christmas season.
In the hope of finding some fresh female company, Eric is willing to go along with the idea but things do not appear to go swimmingly for him when he realises that normal leading lady – the 86-year old Miss Baskeyfield – has had a better offer of work at the local exotic dancing club and regular Arthur has been incapacitated following an accident with a spotlight. Even worse for Eric, society member Twink (Carly Cook) has no interest in Eric’s advances towards her.
With a serious shortage of actors, Director Rupert (Lawrence Russell) fears that the show may well not go on but is rescued when the rehearsal room is double-booked by a local band. The band members – Alan (Alan Howell), Ray (Harvey James), Steve (Jack Pinder) and Pongo (Lewis Williams) -are drafted in and the day is saved after Rupert is persuaded to turn his oeuvre into a musical.
The First Act covers the first read-through of the script as the cast struggles to cope with their lines in hilarious fashion while the Second Act sees the staging of the play which is a parody of amateur dramatics at its worst. With mangled delivery of lines, missed cues, faulty props and corpses that refuse to be still it is little wonder that the Basford Amateur Dramatists go by the acronym of BAD.
Although the action on stage may make those involved in amateur dramatics wince, it provides loads of fun for the audience and a surprise romantic attachment for Rupert. The production ends with the after-show party – an event to which the audience is well and truly invited to join in.
David Graham has once again produced an entertainment masterpiece. He is generous in his script-writing that allows each cast member the opportunity to showcase their comedic talent and each member has the chance to take the lead in the musical spotlight.
For many in the audience, the arrival of a new Eric production is the highlight of their theatre-going year. It may not produce the most sophisticated theatre but certainly tickles the chuckle button that everyone has inside them.
Time flew by watching this show. The regulars who have yet to see it will be pleased to discover that Eric is at his magnificent best. And if you have never Ericked before, the question must be why not? You really do not know what you are missing!!
Eric’s Christmas Turkey has a running time of approximately 2 hours 45 minutes including interval and continues until December 10th. For ticket information contact tickets@newvictheatre.org.uk or 01782 717962
