The London Cuckolds was further proof that high ambition can be combined with sheer enjoyment. Susie Wilde’s minimal design was central: it cut out tedious delays between scenes, allowed multiple reuse of the acting space, and offset the period costumes and wigs which made it such a spectacle. See the photos by Steve Pearce on Picasa here. Audience feedback is at the foot of this page.

Susie Wilde  blog

Director's note – by Susie Wilde

Imagine a world where it’s always winter and never Christmas. No, not Narnia but England under Cromwell: no celebrations, no inns, no theatre. Soldiers roam the streets and scrub off any make-up found on the women. Bright colours are banned. Men and women wear black. Her hair is hidden beneath a white head-dress and wigs are banned for men. Most sports are banned, especially on a Sunday, when even going for a stroll can lead to a heavy fine. And if you don’t like it, those who keep swearing can be sent to prison. Grim.

So now picture the scenes when Charles II is restored to the throne, bringing colour, life and energy back to the people. This exuberance is what we are trying to capture here: the noise, fun, naughtiness and verve of a city that has been held in check too long. Restoration Comedy relishes the uncontrollable urges that make us human and frail; like alchemy, it takes base matter and turns it into the pure gold of unconstrained laughter. Or so we hope.

The London Cuckolds was first performed in 1681 and was repeated annually for 70 years. Terry Johnson’s updated version keeps true to its anarchic spirit but the pace has quickened, so that it canters along in the shameless amorality of true farce.

Cast list:

What the audience have said:

I don’t ‘do’ AmDram but was invited to this one and was bowled over by the pace and professionalism of the production.

The casting was superb, not a weak link anywhere.

The idea of getting the audience in the right frame of mind by having strolling hawkers, with the bar and front of House all togged up too, was brilliant.

The cast were all excellent and their timing with the double entendres superb. Even their facial expressions of shock / horror / amusement seemed faultless.

I loved the very clever set with its all black design (how you managed to construct 8 exits, plus high level windows and a cellar in a single weekend of set construction I do not know).

The idea of the set being like a blackboard with scenery ‘chalked’ onto it was inspired and fitted in really well with the idea of the whole play. The banquet got a laugh in its own right.

There were too many touches that showed the hand of proper direction to comment on them all. The Players should be very proud of what they achieved.