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South Town House Play 2011 - 'The Front Page'

The fifth and final night of House plays had been eagerly awaited by all, and what better way to kick it off than with South Town’s performance of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s ‘The Front Page’. After sweeping up best actor, best director and best production last year, expectations were high, and thankfully it did not disappoint!

See the Programme

The play was set in the 1920’s press room of Chicago’s Criminal Courts building and told the story of Hildy Johnson (Rhys Edwards), the top reporter. Tired of the whole game he was determined to quit his job to get married. Earl Williams (Dominic Dixey) however, suddenly escaped from the jail which changed everything and an interesting plot unravelled, revealing the interesting relationship between Hildy Johnson and the ‘Examiner’ managing editor, Walter Burns (Magnus Gordon).

It must be said that the play was truly believable throughout. The American accents seemed almost natural and the appropriate ‘swagger’ and use of hats which the actors adopted was apt. Rhys Edwards took the lead role of Hildy Johnson and performed (and directed) superbly. Magnus Gordon as ‘Walter Burns’ was particularly convincing; his use of pauses had the audience transfixed and he never came out of character, interacting especially well with Rhys. Other well acted roles came from Harry Crawley, and particularly amusing was George Porter as the Mayor. It was a very strong company and perfectly cast roles; everyone worked well together showing great House spirit.

The play flowed effortlessly, and the swift movement of scenes was helped by the unchanged set throughout. The use of the large window which Earl Williams fell through, and the two doors set at either edge of the stage gave the room perspective and allowed the whole width of the stage to be used well. The actors speaking over each other surprisingly added to the piece and outbursts of shouting really grasped the atmosphere well, engaging the audience, and setting a great contrast to the quieter scenes. There were no visible line ‘slip ups’, which for any House play is an achievement in itself, and although some mistakes may have been made (for example the dropping of a gun), the professionalism of the cast meant it went almost unnoticed.

Overall, this play provided great entertainment. It was a very skilled performance, and the experience of the lead roles played to their advantage, while the audience became truly engaged in the quick paced narrative. Subtle comedy value was added, with Ben Dixon and George Goodall, acting as body guards, though cleverly this did not distract from the main storyline. It was a very polished performance which The South Town can be very proud of. Fundamentally, a successful House play needs first class acting, and an interesting plot which flows well … this play most certainly did. It will undoubtedly receive more than one mention in the Oscar Awards, a huge well done!

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