Mr Wonderful 

Mr. Wonderful - funny, naughty and some delightful one-liners

NEW COMEDY drama Mr. Wonderful is easy-going on the audience with some very funny - and quite naughty - lines. Just four members of Kidderminster's talented Nonentities Theatre Group act out an episode in the somewhat sad but probably all too real life of Norma Green, almost left on the shelf, as she seeks help from a, dating agency to get her Mr. Wonderful.

In a play with some delightful one-liners, we are led to believe that interfering and demanding invalid mother Phoebe has a past which involves jumping in and out of bed with quite a few men, which is probably why daughter Norma has reached the age of around 50 and never had sex.

Sandy Tudor's Victoria Wood- style character as Norma is entirely appropriate and fascinating - facial expressions and all - and she carries this demeanour well throughout the play. One can't help thinking she's just downright unlucky to have gone this far through life without landing a bloke.

Rat Geoff Lazenby (Athol M'Donald) has us all fooled, as until all those messages on the mobile with details of women he's had and unceremoniously dumped are unearthed it is reasonable to assume he is a nice guy if not a little on the smooth side.

Bed-bound mother Phoebe is beautifully played by Do Evans who obviously revels in pretending she's the Queen Mother and interfering in her daughter's life.

Finally, Rob Carcaterra as various suitors for the poor Norma, is highly proficient. His rendition of the incredibly boring Eric Box, whose specialist subject is screws (of the metal type). is breathtaking.

Andrew Powell

Play full of great lines

THE Nonentities have once again proved that their name, when it comes to acting, really is very inappropriate. After reviewing a number of this group's productions, I really feared my belief that The Nonentities could do no wrong would be tempting fate and the show would be a dis-aster.

But I needn't have worried. If anything, in this, the latest production from the group, the actors surpassed an already extremely high standard to produce another little gem. The cast of four were superb as they told the story of Norma Green, an attractive 45-year-old woman desperate to trade her dull existence with her domineering mum for a life with Mr. Wonderful.

But when smooth talking divorcee Geoff Lazenby performed by Athol M'Donald comes along, Norma's mum Phoebe does all she can to scupper the romance, and ensure her daughter remains a virgin. Yet the eccentric and vindictive mum played by Do Evans, quickly learns things are not as they seem with smooth operator Lazenby which leads to the unexpected, but highly amusing ending.

Full of great, one-liners, the play is a sensitive and funny insight into the life of a woman desperate to be loved. Special mention must go to Rob Carcaterra, who took the part of three of Norma's failed dates and a rather off-hand waiter. As the boring hardware business owner Eric Box, who did nothing but talk about screws - the metal ones that is, much to Norma's disappointment he was brilliant, and his part as Lop Wink the mad cyclist was quite inspired. However, for me, the scene where he plays a drunk propositioning Norma, played by Sandy Tudor, was first class if only for the answer he gets from the frustrated and often sarcastic character.

Guy Whitmore