The Armidale Drama & Musical Society’s latest production is A Bunch of Amateurs, a no-holds Bard comedy about a Hollywood action star who plays King Lear in Stratford.
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Not Stratford-upon-Avon, that is, but the sleepy Suffolk village of Stratford St. John.
Jefferson Steele, star of Ultimate Finality IV: The Final Finality, is, unsurprisingly, leery – but all comes right on the night.
The play runs from 5 to 13 October, at TAS Hoskins Centre.
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“It’s a fun night out,” director Mark Bourne said. “It has some very funny gags in it, and some good visual comedy.
“If you've ever been involved in amateur theatre, a lot of the characters within the society in the play are recognisable. They're very much English village types, so easily identifiable. The clash between the Americanisms of the movie star and their amateur theatre is a lot of fun.”
Mark’s previous productions for the ADMS include Steel Magnolias (2014) and The Lyons (2016).
“The mixture of funny and slightly touching reminded me of English rom-coms like Love Actually and Notting Hill,” he said.
“I hadn't done anything like that kind of mix, so I thought that would be quite interesting. When I read the script, I knew it was funny, straightaway!”
The play is an adaptation of a 2008 British film by satirical mag Private Eye’s Nick Newman and Ian Hislop, starring Burt Reynolds, Derek Jacobi, Imelda Staunton, and Samantha Bond.
The theatrical version came out in 2014, and was well received in the UK.
“The script's actually a lot stronger than the movie,” Mark said. “They've pared it down a lot; they've cut what was not quite so strong; and it's really just the best of the story, with some new gags and some new funnier pieces.”
The cast and crew saw parallels between the play and their experiences in Armidale. The characters are trying to make money to save their barn theatre – and the ADMS is raising funds to restore the old Playhouse.
"Profit from any of the plays we do over the next couple of years will get hopefully plowed back into this,” Mark said, “until we can start doing plays in here again."
A Bunch of Amateurs runs from October 5 to 13. Tickets online at www.adms.org.au, or in person at Carr’s NewsXpress, 170 Beardy St, Armidale.