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The Argosy Players in: To-Day The Feast by Bill Brookes (Staff)
 Staged:
29 March 1955 in the Basement Theatre Head Office Water Street Liverpool
 Bearing in mind that the last time the Argosy Players staged
a new play by Martins staff member Bill Brookes, the comments made by Martins
Bank Magazine were harsh to say the least, both Bill and the Players might
well have heaved a sigh of relief when they read the article below. “To-Day the Feast”, not previously
performed in front of ANY
audience is given a far nicer reception and the criticism seems not only
fairer, but also constructive in an altogether less brutal fashion than the
comments made about “Thunder in Arden”.
A certain pomposity is still evident, especially in remarks
such as: “His disguise
as a member of the proletariat was
utterly convincing”. In any case, this
is another of those productions performed mainly for fun in front of
colleagues, and with the aim of keeping acting skills sharpened and ready for
the next big stage outing for the Argosy Players…
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 The Music Section
and the Argosy Players combined forces to present an entertainment to the
members of the Society in the Basement Theatre at Head Office on the
evening of March 29th. The Argofor Players have made quite a reputation for
themselves one way or another, mostly in connection with the Overseas
branch annual dinners and the annual reunions of Liverpool District
ex-servicemen.
They certainly lived up to it on May 13th. Ken Johnson
with his ukelele and with his impersonations. Duncan Milne and Ken with
their skit on the B.B.C. street interviews, and the uproarious ‘broadcast’
by Stewart Squirrell. Anthony Taylor, Ken and Duncan:— “Shine the Lamp on
Banking”. It was all very good fun.
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Hazel Buckley, Bill Brookes. Brian
Isaacson, Norman Leach.
Marlis Harvey, and Maureen Dempster
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Then, after the interval for refreshments, came the piece-de-resistance,
a new one-act play by William Brookes, “To-day the Feast”, never previously
performed on any stage and, judging by the performance as compared with the
script, never likely to be performed again with exactly the same words! The
fun they had rehearsing it was just nobody's business. This drama of
Ruritania, revolution, grand duchesses and a bomb plot was put over with an
enthusiasm remarkable even for an amateur production. The author himself
took the part of the Third Secretary, and it was not surprising that he
portrayed it well seeing that he knew how he intended it to be played.
Marlis Harvey looked every inch a duchess. Her figure and bearing were
regal and her imperious manner was in the best Continental tradition. Brian
Isaacson as Colonel Alboni so completely entered into the part of the
heel-clicking, choleric, dim-witted regular officer, that it was impossible
to identify him at all, for an excellent disguise had destroyed the last of
his visual personality. Quite the best bit of acting we have seen him do.
Norman Leach as the revolutionary who feels faint if anyone mentions the
word “ blood ” also gave us the best performance of his we have so far
seen. His disguise as a member of
the proletariat was utterly convincing. And how nice it was to see
Maureen Dempster in a new type of character part, this time as the
hard-bitten American journalist. Her stay in America obviously helped her
to do this realistically. Lastly, there was Hazel Buckley, appearing on our
stage for the first time, though she has for a long time been a tower of
strength behind the scenes. As the enemy within the gates, so to speak, the
receptionist who is all along in league with the revolutionaries, she made
a very promising debut, and we hope to see her again. Eric Wylie compered
the show and Reg. Webster officiated at the piano. At the conclusion of the
entertainment Mr. R. H. Price Chairman of the Society, voiced the thanks of
all the members for a very happy evening.
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Martins Bank Archive Collections 1988 to date.
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