Keeping Up Appearances - HAODS Studio

HATS off to Caroline Hopkins for an acting tour-de-force as that national treasure, Hyacinth Bucket, at Henley Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society’s latest dinner-theatre production, Keeping Up Appearances.

This is an extended stage version of the television series with all the familiar characters but none more convincing than Caroline who captures Hyacinth’s pretention, snobbery and vulnerability beautifully. Hyacinth is on stage for most of the two hours of the show and has a mountain of words but her character never drops. Her various accents are bang-on and her emotions from joy to humiliation hit the target every time.

Caroline leads a cast in which everyone puts in a shift, no matter the size of their role. The play itself has a flimsy plotline about an am dram production in which the celebrated Mrs Bucket demands a role commensurate with her perceived status – a duchess, no less.

But really the story is only a vehicle for the characterisation and there are some corkers: the ever reliable Jenny Sakal as a horny and loving Daisy; a very effective Samantha Riley as an even hornier Rose; Paul Cockfield dithering and readily capitulating as Rose’s latest mark.

Julia Ashton provides solid grounding and momentum as Liz and Simon Kelly gives a surprisingly close interpretation of Geoff Hughes’s original Onslow.

Ian Head puts in a workmanlike performance as the put upon Emmet, the am dram director; Claire Hewitt has a brief but memorable turn as Mrs Debden; and Rebecca Wilcox has an even briefer series of appearances as an interloping artist turning up on the wrong day every time. And finally Stef Socki’s Union flag boxers gave us all an attack of the vapours in his wordless but imposing cameo as Hyacinth's father.

The real director, Julie Huntington, has done an excellent job of keeping all these actors in order and the use of the confined studio space means it never seems crowded, despite plenty of physicality. But really this is Hyacinth’s show. It’s her determination to be seen to have risen above her origins which drives it and perhaps we’re cruel in laughing at her but, let’s be honest, she has it coming. In the HAODS Studio until Saturday.

Mike Rowbottom