HAUNTED (Wolverhampton Grand Theatre) July 2012

Ron Aldridge's Haunted plays in Wolverhampton this week in place of the originally scheduled Dry Rot. This production extends the summer play season into a fifth week with three of the four actors returning for a second time this season. It is the second Ron Aldridge play this year - the first being You're Only Young Twice. This play couldn't be any different.

Haunted quickly goes from being rather an erotic play to one that deeply explores the consciousness of the mind. It follows Paul Pengelly (Peter Amory) a double-murderer who has been found not guilty on both accounts. He's starting the life he always wanted but things soon take a sinister turn when his victims appear in his head and will not leave until he confesses to murder.

The two victims, Susan Pengelly (Joanne Heywood) and Richard Tremayne (Nick Ricketts) have a lot to do. Original tactics to edge Peter into confession is to repeatedly tease and taunt him. Not only is this annoying for Peter who is trying to get on with his life but also for the audience who are trying to watch. I couldn't help but feel Peter's agitation and annoyance, which (in a way) is the play working as it should. I could definitely sympathise with Peter, but he's a murderer - he deserves it!

Peter's new love Melanie is played by Nicola Weeks. Interestingly, Amory and Weeks were a couple (Susan and Ray) last week in The Final Test and are together again as Peter and Melanie this week. They work very well together and managed to switch from last week's couple to this week's very different pair.

Alan Miller Bunford's sets return again and this one, a charming lilac bedroom is lit cold and more harshly as the storyline gets grittier and more intense.

The programme features an article about various stage and film ghosts, one of which being Sam Wheat from Ghost. Ghost being a recent screen-to-stage adaptation features special effects and illusions to as part of a multi-million pound musical production in London. Surprisingly this smaller production also features illusions to enforce the ghost-like qualities of the actors who to look at are no different in appearance to the living characters.

You really have to concentrate in this one. There's a lot of supernatural explaining and understanding and at times switching between real-time action to reenactments of the past without obvious notice. Distraction techniques work well to showcase the illusions. The play runs at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until Saturday 28th July after finishing a small UK tour in May. This is your last chance to see it and is definitely worth considering.

Website: http://iandickensinternational.com/productions/haunted.html

Tickets: http://www.grandtheatre.info/WhatsOn_focus.asp?ShowId=618&sC=page10

THE FINAL TEST (UK Tour) July 2012

For this, the fourth play in the Ian Dickens play season we are presented with an entirely new work. This is the first time Chris Paling's comedy has been put before an audience, perhaps a big gamble in today's theatrical world - but it managed to hold it's own.

Doctor Who's Colin Baker stars as Peter, who discovers one afternoon that his wife Ruth (Karen Ford) has sold the house and is moving to Bexhill-On-Sea with a new man she found on the internet. Peter, not knowing what to do remains in the garden listening to the cricket. The new owners move in and face the awkward task of getting him out. They call upon the help of a policeman (Michael Garland) who instead of evicting Peter, ends up ballroom dancing with him.

Colin Baker has undoubtable charm. However annoying it is to have an unwelcome visitor in your garden, when it's Colin Baker you'd happily keep him for a gnome. He manages to steer conversations away from why he's staying towards ridiculous situations or getting into confusing the opponent with a pompous argument. Karen Ford as his wife plays a strained and desperate cricket-widow. Emmerdale's Peter Amory along with Nicola Weeks as Susan are the perfect contrast in personality who benefit from the help of their friendly squatter. As with all the plays there is one character who appears for all of two minutes and is never seen again until curtain call. In this play it is Gavin Kerr as the removal man who doubles up as an assistant stage manager.

The set by Alan Miller-Bunford is by far his best creation throughout the play season. There's a spacious lawn, a shed, a whole house with a kitchen in-view, a wall of another house, a street behind the house - nothing is forgotten about. The set makes the slightly daft story seem much more realistic. 

Overall, an amusing evening. For a new play, it's great. It was nice to see a play set in the present day with references to Facebook and Blackberries ("Blueberries"). It starts off a little slowly, and is very dialogue heavy in some parts. If you're not a cricket fan (like me) then perhaps some of the more technical cricket language will wash over your head but the play is much more than that. 

The Final Test runs at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until Saturday 21st July and plays only two more venues before finishing it's run on 18th August. 

(With Colin Baker)

Ticket Booking for Wolverhampton: http://grandtheatre.info/WhatsOn_focus.asp?ShowId=615&sC=page10

Website: http://iandickensinternational.com/productions/finaltest.html