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 The
Cicala Players in The Sacred Flame by W Somerset Maugham
Staged: 29 and 30 April 1957 at the Rudolph Steiner Theatre
Park Road London NW1
 Putting the
previous November’s production of “The Manor of Northstead” firmly behind
them, the Cicala Players decide to tackle W Somerset Maugham’s “The Sacred
Flame” for their Spring 1957 Production. There is once again a change of
theatre, and this time the action moves from the Barrett Street Technical
College off Regent Street, to the Rudolph Steiner Theatre NW1. The producer
is R J Webster Bell, who has an impressive string of letters after his name,
and his work is highly praised in producing this tense drama about a man
paralysed by a flying accident, and the strain this puts on his young wife.
As you will read below, the plot soon turns to adultery, and then to the
possibility of murder, and it makes the many a “kitchen sink” TV drama of the
late 1950s and early 1960s look quite tame in comparison. There is plenty of
emotional action for the actors to get their teeth into, and once Renee
Forder is singled out for giving another great performance.
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 In some respects,
the choice of the Cicala Players for their Spring production was one of the
most difficult which an amateur company could have chosen. W Somerset
Maugham's “The Sacred Flame" calls for long-sustained emotional
tension which is well beyond any but really experienced players. The play
was presented for two nights, April 29th and 30th, at the Rudolf Steiner
Theatre, Park Road. N W I, and the producer was R. J Webster Bell, L.R.A.M.,
A.R.C.M., who is to be complimented heartily on the success
he made of the production. This is the story of a young wife whose husband
is paralysed for life as the result of an air crash. She loves him
devotedly for four years and then falls in love with his brother by whom she
is expecting a child.
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Andrea Wilson Betty Evans Renee Forder
Clive Hamilton Isabel Simblett John Kerrigan John Cross and Arthur Odell
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The husband dies peacefully
in the night, just at the most opportune moment when concealment of the
clandestine love affair would soon have become impossible. It seems a happy
solution to a very sad state of affairs, until the nurse, herself secretly
in love with the dead man, makes an accusation of murder, obviously
suspecting the widow, though in fact. the dead man's mother, who
has lived with the young couple and has seen the whole story unfold,
finally accepts responsibility for providing the solution and the matter is
preserved as a family secret.
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The mother was
outstandingly played by Renee Forder, whose welcome reappearance with the Players
as guest artist, restored to the company for the occasion its most
versatile lady principal. Isabel Simblett played the part of the young wife
and the moving simplicity of her interpretation in which she presented
herself as the victim of sad circumstances and not as a disloyal,
deceitful and sinning woman, swayed the audience to her side completely.
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John Cross Renee Forder Isabel Simblett
Betty Evans Clive Hamilton and Arthur Odell
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A wonderful performance.In
this she was greatly helped by Betty Evans as the nurse. She should have
had our sympathy, but got none of it. and the manner in which she set out
to alienate her audience was admirable. Arthur Odell as the doctor was
completely at home in the part and gave us one of the best performances of
the many with which he has entertained us. The part of the paralysed
husband was played by John Kerrigan. It was his first appearance with the
Players, illness last time preventing him from making his debut.
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The producer R J Webster Bell (right)
explains a point at the dress rehearsal
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Acting from a wheel
chair is somewhat exacting but he got the most out of the part and in the
chess-playing scene with the doctor and in the emotional scene with his
wife the night he died he was first class. John Cross took the part of the
brother with whom the wife falls in love. He is a sound, dependable player,
whose attitude throughout only served to excuse the young wife still
further Clive Hamilton as the retired major who had once been in love with
the mother, assumed the role of family friend in the crisis which suddenly
enveloped their lives.
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John Cross and
Isabel Simblett
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Though perhaps a
trifle soft-spoken for a military man, he, nevertheless, looked the part and
played it with dignity. At the dress rehearsal when the photograph was
taken, he did not wear the military moustache which gave him additional
authenticity at the actual performances. The part of the maid was taken by
Andrea Wilson. She also appeared with the Players for the first time and is
to be complimented on a promising start. This was one of the best shows the
Players have done, though it must be admitted that from an entertainment
point of view these amateur audiences seem to lean more to comedy than to
tragedy. Support and the resulting
financial position remain much the same
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