Pass the Butler
Winston Theatre, Students Union, Queens Road, January 1989
Arts Centre Theatre presents
PASS THE BUTLER
by
Eric Idle
CAST
Hugo - Tony Smith
Annabelle - Lindsey Collier
Nigel - Doug Galloway
Kitty - Marie Alliston
Butler - Paul Preager
Lady Charles - Fionnula Rochford
Harris - Don Brown
Ronnie - Walter Browning
Slater - Brian Ely
Directed by
Robin Seavill & Tony Smith
PS
I came in late to help out with the direction of this, the last show, I believe, the Arts Centre Theatre ever did. But since it was performed at the theatre in the Students Union, it got big appreciative audiences lured in by the name Eric Idle as the author, and good thing too. It was quite right we should go out with a bang.
Details are hazy now, but I do remember engineering one sight gag I’m particularly fond of. In keeping with the artificiality of the farcical set-up, all the backdrops were painted flats, including the fireplace. At one point a reporter (I think it was) comes in and takes his hat off and places it on the two-dimensional mantlepiece. And it falls to the floor. But he doesn’t notice because he has already started reciting his lines. Big laugh. And another big laugh when eventually he comes to leave and wonders why his hat is lying on the floor when he knew he placed it safely on the mantlepiece when he first came in. All right, it’s not Buster Keaton, but it gave people a giggle, and students deserve a laugh occasionally too, don’t they? To go with all that pot.