Menu
 
Home | Arts and Entertainment | What a blooming farce!
 
Arts and Entertainment | 7th November 2019
 

What a blooming farce!

 
 
 

Take one pushy businesswoman and one womanising roué plus his sister and her flirty friend and add a titled lady for good measure. Sprinkle in a weepy nurse and a solicitor and place them all together in a posh country house for the weekend. To the mix, add the essential seasoning of a couple who think they’re there for a swingers’ weekend. What have you got? The perfect recipe for a farce – in this case, the Geoff Bamber play Clutching At Straws, being performed by LAODS at the Buccleuch Centre later this month.
‘Clutching at Straws is very silly but has some wonderful comic characters and I hope it will cheer people up during what could be a very gloomy autumn and winter.’
The man with his hand on the tiller (oo-er Missus) is Bob McLure. He’s been with LAODS for 40 years, but although he’s trod many a board in the years since, his first role with the company was playing in the Orchestra Pit for Orpheus In The Underworld. Since then he’s been in twelve plays and twenty-one musicals.
‘I first strayed on to the stage in a play in 1984 called Wanted One Body and then took to the musical stage in 1989 with My Fair Lady. Both were directed by Brenda Morrison. It’s very difficult to pick a favourite role as I have enjoyed them all but if I am allowed joint favourites, they would have to be Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady and Fagin in Oliver.

This time though, he’s taken on the role of Director – for the tenth time. So will he miss being on stage?
‘I enjoy directing and get a lot of satisfaction from it,’ he says, ‘but I still prefer to act – it’s much less stressful. All I have to worry about is myself when acting and there’s nothing like the buzz of being on stage.’

Playing the part of Lottie Fairfax – ‘much married socialite only interested in men and jewellery,’ is
Nicole Weatherstone. ‘My husband Alan says I’m typecast again!’

She has been with the

She has been with the company for 35 years so is
definitely a weel-kent face in LAODS productions. ‘I started in 1988 and have done thirty-five shows – thirty of them were operas so this is just my fifth play.’ Nicole says it would be hard to choose a favourite role between Calamity Jane and Nancy in Oliver.
Playing the part of the redoubtable Mrs Barge in Clutching at Straws is Margaret Latimer. She first joined the company in 1987 but had to leave a few years later due to work commitments. However, when she retired in 2019 the siren call of the stage once again proved irresistible and she has been back in the fold ever since.
‘I like everything from the singing, acting and the fact that we are still going strong as a Society,’ she says. ‘It can be scary backstage when you’re waiting to go on, but once you walk out there, it’s the greatest feeling. The stage is yours and there’s no turning back.’
One member of the LAODS family has to know the lines even better than the players even though she never steps into the limelight at all. Eva Zemla has played the very important role of prompter for the past nine years.
‘I did tread the boards in a play many years ago but did not enjoy the experience, and to be honest I much prefer to be backstage,’ she says. ‘I enjoy seeing how the cast progress through rehearsals and admire their ability to remember their lines. The hardest bit about my job is when an actor says a line, or lines, that are maybe two or more pages ahead of where he should be in the script and I have to find it or pray that the other people on stage will manage to bring the action back to where they’re supposed to be.’

 
 
Would you like to support us?

The Eskdale and Liddesdale Advertiser is our community owned local newspaper and even in today’s troubled times, we aim to bring you local news and articles in an impartial, responsible and factual way.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this free article but we need your support so we can keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent and keeps you up to date with what is happening in Eskdale and Liddesdale.

Every reader’s contribution, however big or small, is so valuable to us.
 
 
‘Owned by the Community...Published for the Community’
Do you have a story?

Please get in touch if you have a story or article you would like to see published.

Related Articles

Love, a dance and a right good belly laugh!

With a large cast and great audiences, LAODS’ Last Tango…

 

Musical excellence delights Canonbie audience

Splendid concert brings church’s 200 year celebrations to a close…

 

There's still time to get your creations into Langholm Show

If you’re a baker, floral artist, photographer, gardener, crafter, knitter…

 

Cheers! Langholm's Beer Festival hailed a huge success

Joint venture by Buccleuch Centre and Borderlands Brewery goes down…

 

Raise a glass as to Borderland deal

Langholm brewery teams up for new taproom venue in Carlisle…

 

Questions and answers at the Buccleuch

Politicians quizzed as popular Radio 4 show comes to Langholm…

 

Children’s author makes a return to his Copshaw roots

Family collaboration over 4,200 miles leads to potential series of…

 

25 years of down-right uniqueness

Copshaw Common Riding fills the heart and mind with something…

 

Pureous Bunkamous...abundant Holm humour

Prepare for lift-off Copshaw – this coming weekend is like…

 

Fans stay Cool amid high drama!

Medical emergency halts Everest lecture – then midges descend! Fans…

 

Rosie's coming up roses!

Scholarship success at last for Langholm theatre star After six…

 

Knitting the light fantastic

Creation Mill’s In Stiches group casts on with the national…

 

Hold the front page!

Your E&L celebrates 175 years of Langholm news! The Eskdale…

 

Festival wash-out threat?

Flood prevention scheme could impact Copshaw music event By Gilly…

 

A LAODS legend with a passion for athletics

OBITUARY: BRENDA ISABEL MORRISON 1938-2023 by Alan Weatherstone Brenda Morrison,…

 

The diverse and improbable journey of an adventurer

REVIEW: James Ketchell: ‘It’s all mental’ Wednesday 29th March at…

 

Triumphant return for Fiddle Club

Packed house as musicians converge on Langholm Langholm Accordion &…

 

Burns at Gilnockie

The Famous Gilnockie Burns Supper took place last weekend and…

 

Scrooge... a fantastic Christmas Present!

By Alison Aston Photos by : Veronika Zolotoverkha What a…

 

An Xcel-lent Christmas party!

Almost 60 youngsters enjoyed a brilliant Youth Club Christmas VIP…

 

What the Dickens? It’s Panto time!

Very few seats left for this year’s Muckle Toon Extravaganza…

 

Gavin gets the gong!

Passionate volunteer recognised at top awards event Congratulations to E&L…

 

January, February, now Langholm in November

Singer Barbara Dickson returns to The Buccleuch Award-winning singer Barbara…

 

Keeping it Country in Langholm

Back by popular demand, following a sell-out tour last year,…

 

Spooky Men: a capella quirkiness

By Sheena Harvey, Castle Bytham, Lincs A collection of ten…

 

Aussie singers to spook The Buccleuch

As thunderous as a herd of wildebeest, as sly as…

 

Drummer Kyle kills it with Brandon & Co

Sheer delight is etched on Kyle Grieve’s face as he…

 

Brandon aims to push the right buttons in Langholm

By Penny Johnstone Lovers of traditional Scottish folk music are…

 

Janet's in the frame for gallery as Phil steps down

By Nick Brownlee It’s the end of an era at…

 

A stitch in time

400 years marked with wonderful tapestry

 

Stars set to Keep it Country in Langholm

LIVE country music is coming back with a bang at…

 

Langholm People

OutPost Arts sets portrait challenge

 

Lucy speaks for the arts on cultural body

Langholm creative joins DG Unlimited to help support recovery

 

Scotland’s orchestra, digitally

THE Royal Scottish National Orchestra is bringing audiences its first…

 

Seaweed and sparrows

Margaret Walty has opened her Autumn exhibition “Here be Dragons”…

 

Centre bids for funding to survive the long term

Langholm’s popular performing arts venue is vital to economy

 

RAVE REVIEWS: Twice Brewed Inn, Bardon Mill

TWICE Brewed Inn sits on the edge of the Military…

 

RAVE REVIEWS: Travel: Petra, Jordan

Reviewers: Tony Parker & Avril Bannatyne AT THE end of…

 

Restaurant Review : The Boathouse Glencaple

Reviewer: Clare Rogerson Boreland We pulled up into a nice…

 

RAVE REVIEWS... Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow

A RAINY day in Glasgow; what is a girl to…

 
 
requires mailchimp logins and wired up to a list
Join our mailing list
Keep up to date with all that’s going on at the E&L
This site uses cookies.
Configure
 
Read our privacy policy

This site uses cookies for marketing, personalisation, and analysis purposes. You can opt out of this at any time or view our full privacy policy for more information.