AN EVENING OF FOUR ONE ACT PLAYS

PARENTCRAFT
DEREK	Joe Thomson


LEAVING IT
DEBORAH	Anne Gray
JOINING THE CLUB
	Janice Gordon	Robert Grice
PARENTCRAFT

The Apex Players' recent performance of four one-act plays at Greenfaulds High School went down well with the local audience.

Each of the original plays dealt with the subject of human relationships with an upbeat, humorous approach, making for an enjoyable evening's-worth of entertainment.

The first play on the bill was "Parentcraft" written by Stephen Smith and directed by James Keenan. Set in the waiting room of an ante natal class, this featured a varied bunch of parents-to-be, with some quality observational comedy acted out with gusto by its cast of five. Joe Thomson was particularly funny as Derek, the expectant father with an overinflated ego who was continually being shot down in flames by feminine sarcasm.

The second play was "Leaving It" written and directed by Anne Gray, who also appeared as Deborah. This play was less comedy-oriented than the others, concentrating on intriguing explorations of the relationships between the characters, with more of a 'soap opera' feel to it. The acting was of a high standard throughout, making "Leaving It" a thoroughly watchable little play which was well-received with the audience.

After the interval was "Joining the Club", written by David Tristram and directed by Allan McPhail. This was the story of a young couple, played superbly by Robert Grice and Janice Gordon, who discover that they are about to have a baby. Grice and Gordon gave life to Tristram's sharply-observed comic writing, making this arguably the best play of the four.

Lastly, "Boyfriends", by Michael Malone and directed by Stephanie Dodds, featured ten adults playing the roles of kids taking their first tentative steps into the world of courtship. This relied heavily on the actors' ability to play children, and thankfully it worked, with the cast rising to the challenge and really capturing the mannerisms of this awkward age, making for some real laugh-out-loud moments.

Overall, the Apex Players succeeded in thoroughly entertaining their audience with four great little pieces of theatre which bode well for their next production to be performed in June at their usual haunt of Cumbernauld Theatre.