Bedside Manners @ Arts Theatre, Adelaide 5/11/2022
I attended Bedside Manners performed by the Therry Society on Saturday 5th of November and what a fun show it was. The matinee was well attended and everyone seemed to enjoy this well-written and hilarious show. It was written by the late British playwright Derek Benfield in 1988.
The stage set for tonight was one of the biggest they have built and was very well constructed which is typical for every Therry produced play I have seen. It consisted of two separate vibrant green and blue hotel rooms and a lobby. In the play, we follow tip-hungry Ferris who is looking after his sister’s hotel who soon becomes submerged in the hilarious subterfuge of trying to prevent the meetings of husbands, wives and lovers. All five of the cast were wonderful and all were able to bring brilliant physicality to their roles.
Stephen Bills plays Roger and he has been in the Therry plays The Mousetrap and Breaker Morant as well as “Twentieth Century” last year. Rose Harvey played Helen and was also in Twentieth Century with Stephen Bills as well as performing in The Madness of King George earlier this year. Leah Lowe played Sally who I also had seen in “The Madness of King George” as well. Leah also performed in Look Back In Anger at the Arts Theatre in 2019. Patric Clements played Geoff who I was lucky to have seen late last year in the excellent Same Time, Next Year at the Bakehouse theatre. David Sinclair brought a lot of fun and cheekiness to his role of Ferris. David has performed for many years. I have seen him in Therry’s One For the Pot in 2019 and I am looking forward to him directing “Betty Blue Eyes” next year whose run earlier this year was cut short due to Covid.
This play is cleverly written and can be quite intricate at times. It is an old-fashioned farce that had the audience in laughter and the time seemed to go by very quickly. The director of the play is Jude Hines who had previously directed the previously mentioned One For the Pot and Same Time, Next Year.
The Therry Dramatic Society started in Adelaide in 1943 and is still going strong today. I look forward to seeing what they bring us for their 2023 season.
Theatre Review By Richard De Pizzol
Bedside Manners performed by the Therry Dramatic Society at the Arts theatre, Adelaide runs until Saturday November 12, tickets HERE
