RICHARD PARR Houghton Hall

RICHARD PARR

Houghton Hall

A talented small group of actors and actresses, Iceni Productions, brought to life Noel Coward's funny, flippant take on sexual manners.

The cast made use of a mid-wall balcony in the stone hall, which was transformed into the terrace of a South of France hotel where a divorced couple find themselves sharing the same honeymoon

setting with their new partners.

Jamie Bradley, as Elyot, and Naomi Wattis, in the role of Amanda, gave wonderful performances on Friday as the couple who cannot live apart and yet cannot live together. They obtained the best from the witty dialogue, including Amanda's famous line about Norfolk being very flat.

Alex Barclay (Victor) and Joanna Croll (Sybil) play the newly-married partners of Amanda and Elyot, who rekindle their romance and do a runner to a flat in Paris.

Director Amelia Nicholson intro-duced a clever twist by rearranging the stage during the interval so the audience found themselves seated around the set. And here the action really takes off when Amanda and Elyot have the mother of all rows.

A delightful evening. But just two logistical points: the walk from the (dark) car park was rather precarious, even when assisted by flaming torches; and there was an apparent lack of toilets for an event attended by around 100 people.