A PLAYFUL swipe at the church may not have the same weighty consequences now as it did back in the 1960s.
But 50 or so years ago, when Joe Orton’s Funeral Games was first released as a television play, poking fun at religious figures was an incredibly brave move. It is often mentioned as one the plays which provoked a change in the cultural climate, leading to the end of the Lord Chamberlain’s role as official censor of English theatre productions.
Directed by Nigel Adams, the Russell Players’ latest outing Funeral Games follows the alleged love-triangle between Pringle (played by Chris Partridge), a cult leader, preacher and con artist, his wife Tessa (Tessa Costin), and Catholic priest McCorquodale (Glyn Marshall). Things take a sinister turn as Pringle enlists the help of thuggish criminal Caulfield (Mitch Mitchell) to investigate the claims. Pringle wishes to kill his wife, but instead decides to tell people she has ‘gone away’ while she agrees to live out of sight with the priest, who has skeletons of his own to conceal.
“I love the play,” explains Nigel, who has taken the helm for the Players several times before. “I researched several of Orton’s other plays and fell in love with Funeral Games.
“When it was first released it was quite shocking, it certainly touched a nerve with the British public, but these days it is seen more as a farce.
“Adapting the play to stage has been a little more challenging than we first imagined, it was written for television so some of the staging has been changed a little, but we are getting there!
“We started rehearsing two-and-a-half months ago and everyone has settled well into their characters. I actually play the part of the plain-clothes police officer so it has been quite busy.
“Orton is known for his bonkers characters, and there are plenty of those in this play. Obviously back in the 60s, poking fun at the church was considered highly taboo, but these days we can just see it as taking a look at these strange characters and what they get up to. It’s a lot of fun and we hope the audience enjoy what we have done on.”
Funeral Games opens at Swallowfield Parish Hall at 7.30pm on Friday (7), with further performances on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are £9 which includes a light supper and are available from Swallowfield Parish Stores, or from the Box Office by calling 07555 073 597. Doors open at 7pm. For more information visit www.russellplayers.co.uk.
