Image Credits:-
A huge thank you to The Chameleon Theatre Company for supplying the photos from I’ll Be Back Before Midnight. Other images created in Book Brush using Chameleon images. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.
I joined Janet Williams for the performance of I’ll Be Back Before Midnight on Thursday, 24th October. The play (a thriller) is by Peter Colley and it was advertised as not being suitable for the under-12s. Spot on there but the play had a fantastic and strong storyline, a real whodunnit and whydunnit combined.
There were so many bluffs, double bluffs, you had to pay close attention but the storyline was so gripping, that wasn’t an issue.
When you are on the edge of your seat, hoping everything will somehow work out the right way for one character, whom you believe is being set up cruelly to die (probably at their own hand or made to look that way), then you know the characters have gripped you and will not let go until the play ends. That is how it should be too.
The Cast
The play is a “four hander” in that the characters are:-
Jan Sanderson – played by Lisa Dunbar. Jan has recently had a breakdown and is staying in the countryside with her husband to recover. Soon Jan finds herself tormented by strange sounds in the night, and visions of a vengeful ghost. Is she having another breakdown? Is someone trying to drive her mad?
Greg Sanderson – played by Patrick Arnold. Greg is an archaeologist who has rented an old farmhouse in the country so his wife can recover. What happens when his sister, Laura turns up? Is his wife having another breakdown?
George – played by Dave Wilkins. George is a farmer who Jan and Greg rent the house from. What story does he tell about a terrible murder that once took place in the farmhouse? Who is the ghost he talks about who reputedly stalks the night?
Laura (Greg’s sister) – played by Gillian Wilkins. Laura is Greg’s manipulative sister who arrives at the farm house. What is strange about her relationship with her brother, Greg? Is she welcome at the farm house?
Director: Marilyn Dunbar
Production Assistant: Glen Partridge
Setting and Effects
The action of the story is set in the 1980s (the programme confirms 1987) but one of the great strengths of The Chameleons is their uncanny knack to pick the right props to set the audience in the right time frame. I recognised one of the Dorling Kindersley books (on Rocks and Minerals, Greg’s great interest). These books were everywhere in the 1980s.
I also recognised the record player (that dates things well, doesn’t it?) and stereo system. Am fairly certain I had that record player way back when. I think many did!
Now the story is meant to be scary and involves a “ghost” with a knife (in itself, that should’ve warned Jan, the one being “haunted”, something was off here – how would ghosts carry anything? Their own head I can understand, where apt, but nothing more and then only that because their head was part of them originally! You need physical form to be able to carry anything else, surely?).
I must say the lighting and sound effects were spectacular. The use of music was fabulous too. Good use of music sets the right mood and The Chameleons had it spot on here.
One sound effect which sent chills down my spine was when Greg, telling his wife, who has just left hospital after a breakdown, he’d put on relaxing music, given she was twitchy about being in the countryside, well, that so called relaxing music sounded like funeral music to me. Subliminal messaging was the thought that occurred to me. (I do wonder if I have read too many crime novels when I start thinking like that!).
Characters
The “relaxing music” then triggered a red flag in that I was now on the look out for things in the story suggesting Jan was being set up and her husband wasn’t as nice as he appeared. It also meant my sympathies immediately went to Jan throughout and it was then a question of me finding out whether I was right to feel that way or whether I’d been taken up the proverbial garden path.
There were several indications I could’ve been wrong. Then there were more confirming I wasn’t. Then it swung back again. As I say bluff, double bluff, and bluff again. Kudos to Peter Colley for managing this. I wonder how many drafts he wrote.
Also interesting was the character of Laura. It did look at the beginning Jan was right to be hostile to her “sister-in-law” but there were indications there was more to the relationship between Greg and Laura than there should be. Also it was remarkably insensitive of Greg, given this was meant to be a relaxing break, to invite along someone he knew his wife couldn’t stand.
Also he knew his wife liked the city (and to have people around her) so why bring her somewhere she didn’t know where she would be on her own? Doesn’t look good, does it? More black marks against the devoted husband act then. But Laura’s story in this play worked out in ways I hadn’t expected and I ended up feeling as sorry for her as I did throughout for Jan.
The performances were excellent. They were intense performances too and I should imagine draining on the actors but it is what the storyline called for. The Chameleons duly delivered.
Props
Now I don’t know what The Chameleons put in their Jack Daniels bottle, one of the stage props, given George the farmer, who has rented the house to Greg and Jan, loves the whiskey, but if it was the real stuff in there, I have no idea how Dave Wilkins managed to stay sober as he was knocking that stuff back throughout the play! And he had further performances to go on the Friday and Saturday nights!
There was also an element of Scooby Doo in the play in that the “ghost” who supposedly haunted the rented farmhouse wore the kind of mask usually worn by the villains in that famous TV show. (It was usually the resentful janitor who “did it”).
But what was frightening was how, as the play went on, I couldn’t see how Jan was going to escape the fate laid out for her. Someone intended she should die. I also thought there was a Bluebeard element to the story since George, at the start when the couple have just arrived at his cottage, does let slip he has met Greg and refers to his “other wives”. Just how many women has this guy tried to bump off? Later George does ask “why this one? She seems harmless enough.”
Presumably the reason is money and was Laura in on that? All interesting things to think about. Also the rickety wiring kept giving out, fusing the lights etc. I’m sure that was something from Scooby Doo too. Usually arranged by the resentful janitor. George would have no problems arranging this. So is he the friendly bluff farmer he makes himself out to be? And what did happen to his wife and son?
There wasn’t time in the play for this but I would have loved to have known more how Jan came to have her breakdown. It was clear her medication was being tampered with (and again you would suspect the husband here given he had motive, means, and plenty of opportunity) but what triggered that in the first place? Greed for her money from her father, maybe? There is a saying when looking at motive, you should follow the money. It often is a good indicator.
Ending
I was glad when the play ended in what I considered the right way. I can’t say too much without giving the whole plot away but if you love your thrillers, this play is well worth going to see and I was delighted to see what The Chameleons did with this. It was high quality drama.
How can I tell? Simply because as the play went on, you could’ve heard a pin drop in Ritchie Hall, everything was so quiet in the audience because we were all keen to find out what happened next. Now that’s a sign, if ever there was one, of an excellent performance of a brilliant storyline. Well done to The Chameleons.
Also huge plaudits to the stage crew because the sound and lighting effects just added so much to the performance. It was amazingly well done.
Oh and just to finish the evening nicely I won some Malteasers in the raffle! Those have been going down very well with me!
Next Chameleon Performance
For the next show, you couldn’t get a bigger contrast with I’ll Be Back Before Midnight. The Chameleons’ next production is Cinderella. Yes, it’s panto time or will be. Oh yes it is! Cinderella will be on from 24th January to 1st February 2025.
I love pantos. They’re a great way to cheer people up in the dark days of winter when spring still seems far off. It wouldn’t surprise me if that was the original intention for them. They can be a lifeline for local theatre too.
I hope to see this one as Cinderella is one of my favourite fairytales (helped a lot by the fact my first story in print was a retelling of this wonderful story told from the younger stepsister’s viewpoint) and it is fabulous for a pantomime adaptation.
Tickets won’t be available yet but do keep your eyes open on The Chameleons’ Facebook page as news of when they will be on sale will be posted there (and do check out their brand new Facebook page too while you’re there, the old one will be “retired”).
Conclusion
I never fail to be amazed at the range of productions The Chameleons stage, especially when you consider the size of Ritchie Hall. The world’s biggest stage, it isn’t.
But the dramas, the comedies, the pantomimes, continue to be wonderfully produced and acted.
So if you have not yet taken the opportunity to come and see what our excellent local amateur dramatics company can do, then do check out their next one, Cinderella.
Hope to see you there.
Related Posts:-
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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