Reflections on Life’s a Dream
For several years we’d had few opportunities to see a play in Wellow – a memorable Mystery Play in the church but little else – so it was a very special occasion when the Miracle Theatre from Cornwall came to give us “Life’s a Dream”. What a treat it was! A sparkling, fast-moving, witty production of this 17th century Spanish play, brilliantly adapted by a member of the company, and performed by gifted actors who slipped smoothly from role to role and from the comic to the serious. They immediately formed a great rapport with the audience and coped with airy ease with little problems like passing aircraft and a freezing wind. Come again, please!
One reason for the previous dearth of drama in the village may have been the shortage of suitable space since the Village Hall had sadly to get rid of its hard-won stage. Now we know that the western end of the recreation ground can make a lovely venue – once some imaginative people have put a lot of thought and hard work into creating it, of course. Many thanks to them. The audience made its way past a row of decorative silvery “trees” to reach an amphitheatre bounded by hay bales, backed by floodlights and facing an amazingly versatile stage. There was comfortable space for the audience of about two hundred people with their chairs and picnics, and the Hall provided a place for interval refreshments (and the chance to warm up). The youngest person there was, I believe, five, the oldest – I won’t go into that, but we were all enraptured. A play captivates everyone. I hope there’ll be many more evenings like this one.
Marian Osborne
