Review: Love and Mistletoe: New Plymouth play brings Christmas chaos to life

Simon Buick, Alex Sheehan, Jacqui Penn and (front) Morris West are well matched in talent on stage in New Plymouth Little Theatre's latest play, Love and Mistletoe.

Christmas. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. At least, that’s what the opening lines of the song playing as the curtain lifts on New Plymouth Little Theatre’s latest play tells us.

For Sue and Tom Millard, in whose home this play is set, and their family and friends, it’s looking to be anything but a wonderful time of the year as Sue’s carefully made festive plans become as tangled and muddled as a set of Christmas lights that have been in the attic for 11 months.

Under Christine King’s direction, the talented cast bring playwright Raymond Hopkin’s hilarious, farcical comedy to life in what is a thoroughly entertaining piece of theatre.

Jacqui Penn, as the controlling, workaholic Sue, does a fantastic job of bringing out her character’s vulnerabilities, ensuring the audience will sympathise with her as the story develops despite the character’s original unlikability.

As Sue’s long suffering husband Tom, Simon Buick is brilliant fun to watch. He brings a sit-com style to his acting for this play that works perfectly for the character and he’s as much fun to watch when he’s in the background as when he is delivering his lines - or in one particularly brilliant moment in the show - when he is silently delivering someone else’s lines.

As the unwilling (at first) sex symbol Brian, Morris West is his usual excellent self. Brian is Sue’s widowed father who she has decided to introduce to not one, but three potential love interests over one evening. West is a fantastic comedic actor, and this show gives his talent opportunity to shine.

The women, Mavis, Mabel and Martha, played by Lynda West, Vicki Ritchie and Margaret Chapman respectively, all turn out to have some quirks or secrets of their own, with the three talented actresses using some great comedic acting to highlight the various idiosyncrasies.

Some of the best scenes play out between the two Wests, with Lynda’s brilliant comic physicality on stage beautifully matched by Morris as the (real life) couple grapple with each other, some handcuffs, and a whip.

Ritchie is a delight to watch in the role of Mabel, she brings a fantastic energy to the stage, which worked particularly well in the later scenes.

Chapman’s portrayal of bird-loving Martha was a highlight in the show, and it’s just a shame the script didn’t give her more stage time. She’s another actor who knows how to draw out layers in her character, ensuring the audience stay engaged throughout.

Cat Jordan plays Julie, Sue and Tom’s former bridesmaid, who is unexpectedly staying in their spare room over Christmas. Even more unexpected is the romance that blossoms between Julie and one of the other characters, and Cat does a fantastic job of making the unlikely romance not only believable but one that the audience is cheering for throughout.

As Sue and Tom’s daughter Felicia, Alex Sheehan is perfectly cast. She has a tough job, as the script makes fairly big leaps for her character throughout - requiring her to pop in, make shock announcements and then leave again quickly, but Sheehan does it not just with aplomb, but with enough nuance to make her character far more realistic than the script alone allows for.

The Christmas theme of the show is perfectly presented by the set and props team in this show, who have created a brilliant set. It’s festive without being overly fussy and sets the tone nicely.

The wardrobe department also shone, especially when it came to styling the characters of Julie and Mavis.

The play itself, despite the farcical nature, does cover some deeper topics, from loneliness to work stress, hidden problems and the human desire to love and be loved.

Under weaker direction, it could be hard to get the balance between farce and serious topic right, but under King’s direction, the balance isn’t just perfect, it’s wonderful.

King’s vision, supported and brought to life by a strong backstage crew and a talented cast, results in a fun play that is the perfect pre-Christmas entertainment - possibly the most wonderful play for this time of year.

The details:

What: Love and Mistletoe, by Raymond Hopkins

Where: New Plymouth Little Theatre

When: November 20 - December 14

Tickets: iticket.co.nz

Ilona Hanne is a Taranaki-based journalist and news director who covers breaking and community news from across the lower North Island. She has worked for NZME since 2011.