DRIP Action Theatre, playing to a packed house at the Victoria Club in Arundel on Friday evening, did a fine job of putting their audience in festive mood.
This highly-original group, known for innovative and quirky productions, dedicated the Seven Christmas Shorts to the personalities of the dwarves of Snow White fame. Each character was reflected in a play of its own and part of the fun for the audien
ce was to guess which dwarf was the inspiration for each of the 'shorts'.
But the dwarf connection didn't end there - the names of the characters were skilfully woven in again and again throughout this cleverly-scripted show.
There was something for everyone, with the short plays ranging from humour to pathos and thought-provoking situations, with a touch of panto and even a Benny Hill-style chase thrown in for good measure.
Simon Birks' soliloquy was excellent, as was Will Croome in Hark the Herald Angels Spin and Colin's Big Adventure, while Kathy Haigh was a marvellous Midge in Cyclone Warning.
Stars of the show were Pennie Billinghurst and John Griffiths in Hemail and Shemail, written by Simon Brett and directed by Bill Brennan. The hilarious and rather touching tale of a bashful couple of colleagues in humdrum jobs revealing their hidden desires through the medium of email was beautifully played and had everyone roaring with laughter.
The final playlet, Behind You!, brought the evening to a fitting end with a taste of panto and some dramatic effects.
The shorts lent themselves well to the intimate setting of the Victoria Club and all the Drip Action players, scriptwriters and backstage team played a great part in getting the Christmas season off to a flying start.
JR 