In The Illiterate Book Club, playwright Geoff Bartlett has created a charming storyline that engages the audience from the very start. The titular club was created, we are told, by founding member Flora. She came up with the idea of a book club for people who are simply too busy to read the books, so instead members are invited to offer reviews of books in more novel ways. One member cooks her review — testing out recipes in a cookbook and giving them her own modern flair. Another hasn’t read the book, but has watched the movie, while Flora herself uses book reviews written by former pupils of hers when she taught in a primary school.
The seven performers — Samantha Turner (Joy), Kristy Logan (Zoe), Cherol Filbee (Flora), Deborah Clough (Stephanie), Lorraine Wilkie (Ada), Ainslie Alexander (Maggie) and Hayden Baylis (Hamish) — are well cast and well matched on stage, and despite the occasional forgotten line, keep the pace going throughout.
Under the direction of Donald Campbell, each actor brings out the best in their character, with some lovely, simple yet effective mannerisms and tics, such as Flora’s changing of her many glasses as she switches between reading and talking. Every actor clearly understood their character and brought in some great physicality throughout.
The lighting team did a fantastic job throughout, and truly shone, pun intended, in the closing scene. Wardrobe was also well done, with clear choices for each character adding to their personality and helping tell more of their story. The team behind the set creation and design have built an excellent set that really draws the audience in to Ada’s home, especially the table where most of the drama happens. The setting of Repertory House itself helps because it really feels as though the audience is inside the house with Ada and her guests, while the dressing of the foyer, with bottles of wine and piles of books, again adds to that sense of actually being inside Ada’s home. If there is a downside to this, it’s that some audience members begin to feel a little too much at home, and incessant chatter from a group behind us was an annoying distraction throughout the Sunday show.
The play was a good choice for Hāwera Repertory, suited to the location and offering a talented cast lots of opportunity to show their acting skills throughout. It’s an enjoyable story that will have you laughing and crying, and leave you with plenty to think about long after the final curtain.
