‘Jump on board and journey upstream with the crew of this entertaining boat before they reach Armageddon Bridge’ says Andrew Morris...
OUR VERDICT
Written by Alan Ayckbourn and first performed in 1981, Way Upstream has been bravely refloated by the local Triple C Theatre Company for a short cruise at the Yvonne Arnaud Mill Studio in Guildford.
The audience is invited to drift along the River Orb on board the not-so-good ship Hadforth Bounty - a small cabin cruiser - in the company of a motley crew who are destined to sail into trouble, en route upstream to their Armageddon Bridge destination.
Pompous self-appointed skipper Keith Taylor is owner and manager of a small factory; June is Keith’s under-sexed and over-dressed wife; Alistair Wingate may be Keith’s business partner, but he’s a diffident, compliant wimp; Alistair’s mousey wife Emma wishes he were more assertive and romantic.
While they struggle to control the boat on the river, the business is also heading for the rocks: Keith has arranged for daily visits from secretary Miss Hatfield, to report on a deteriorating labour issue at the factory. But when Keith goes back on dry land to try and resolve the dispute, a seemingly frivolous comedy suddenly tacks into much darker waters.
Unsurprisingly, Alistair runs the boat aground. But help is on hand from Vince, a self-confident young river-rat, who quickly takes control of the boat, the situation and the women. He runs a tight ship, instilling discipline into the pliant amateurs and bringing mysterious, posh friend Fleur on board, together with enough booze to sink a battleship.
When Keith tries to come back on board, he seems to have lost control of the boat, his wife and his life. What are Vince’s real motives, and what will it take for Alistair to stand up to this increasingly malevolent new skipper?
The characters and story can be taken at face value, but most reckon Ayckbourn intended this to be an allegorical play, representing the state of the nation in the early 1980s, or perhaps simply just a morality tale, a battle of good and evil.
However you interpret Way Upstream, it’s a challenging play to bring to the stage. Triple C Theatre Company are to be congratulated for their imaginative adaptation: the audience takes every leap with them from shore to deck, hears the engine running aground and thrills to the sound of birdsong on a clear morning on the quiet river.
Ray Murphy excels as the scary, eye-popping Vince; Michael Ohren and Catharine Humphrys are wholly convincing as doomed husband and wife Keith and June; James Sygrove is believable as both the wimpy and worm-turning Alistair; special mention must go to Megan Scott, making her professional debut as sweet Emma, ever hopeful that the relationship with her husband can be saved. And as sensual Fleur, Lauren Weston captures perfectly the ambiguity between siren seducer and devilish sidekick.
So jump on board and journey upstream with the crew of this entertaining boat before they reach Armageddon Bridge….
Venue: The Yvonne Arnaud Mill Studio, Guildford
Dates: May 09-11, 2019, Thu-Sat 8:00 pm; May 11, Sat 2.30 pm
Ticket prices: £16 (book here)
Google
Yahoo
Outlook
ical
