Review: New Plymouth Little Theatre’s Social Climbers as insightful as it is funny

Each of the six actors delivers some wonderful comedy on stage.

OPINION

Take four high school teachers, one high school counsellor and one sulky, “wants to be anywhere but here” daughter, strand them in a mountain hut for a wet weekend, and let the fun begin.

That fun begins as soon as the curtain lifts on the first act of New Plymouth Little Theatre’s production of Social Climbers, a situational comedy written by Roger Hall, and the laughs keep coming until the final curtain drop thanks to a brilliantly talented cast who under Steve Wright’s nuanced direction really bring their characters to life with plenty of emotional depth.

The scene is set as soon as the curtain lifts thanks to a very detailed set by Sunset set design built by a talented construction team along with set dresser Kate Hansen. The end result is a room that will be familiar to many in the audience - a mountain hut with basic facilities in the middle of nowhere, meaning once the rain sets in and the six women are stranded there, tempers soon fray.

Each of the six actors has plenty of dialogue in the play, yet the backstage prompt was barely needed on preview night, meaning the energy and pace never dropped.

As Maxine, the drama teacher who brings plenty of drama with her, Kim Carr is absolutely brilliantly cast. While Maxine has plenty of pithy lines to deliver, with a side serving of snark, Kim doesn’t let Maxine become two-dimensional at any point, ensuring the development of Maxine’s storyline through the play is not only convincing, but also takes the audience on a truly emotional journey with her. Her monologue in the second act deserves its own show, and certainly deserved every moment of the applause it got on preview night.

As school counsellor Annie, Kate Hansen is a calm, soothing presence throughout, until she isn’t - thanks to an emotional outburst from her character that is so well delivered it’s hard to believe the lines she delivers are just words in a play, not her own experience.

Kelly Moore as Susan, the ever cheerful Pollyanna of the group - at the start anyway - is perfectly cast in the role and has the audience in the palm of her hand when she finally tells her colleagues the truth she’s been hiding. As she delivers her emotional dialogue, it feels as if the whole theatre is holding their breath along with the characters on stage.

Nichola Lobban, as the eternally put-upon doormat Emily, is great fun to watch. She uses some great physical comedy throughout and brings some really thoughtful nuance to her role. Some of the best moments in the show come from her interactions with her stage daughter Sinead, played by Rhiannon McGrane.

Rhiannon’s facial expressions, rolled eyes and heavy sighs speak as clearly as her actual lines in the play, while her moments of gleeful gossip remind the audience of her character’s youthfulness and, perhaps, immaturity.

Catherine Gabites plays the oldest teacher in the group, Kath, and does so with aplomb. She’s a standout performer throughout, from her lying in bed relaying the news from her radio through to her producing of some alcohol to get the party started in her no-nonsense way. She’s graceful yet comedic, reminiscent of Bea Arthur’s Dorothy Zbornak in The Golden Girls, and absolutely shines in this play.

Under Steve Wright’s direction, each of the six actors delivers some wonderful comedy on stage, along with convincing emotional moments that have you almost crying between the laughs. The show brings plenty of energy - with even the scene changes being part of the fun - and while it’s undoubtedly a comedy, some of the more emotional moments in the play are likely to strike a chord with many.

Ilona Hanne is a Taranaki-based journalist who covers breaking and community news from across the region. She has worked for NZME since 2011.