Theatre Reviews by Phyl Romeril for Guardian and Gazette Newspapers

The Browning Version, a classic from Terence Rattigan, was part of an evening of one act plays given by Wadham Players.

It was also an entry in the Waltham Forest annual drama festival where the group won no less than six awards.

It is a long one act play, an emotional experience and a masterly study of failure.

Alisdair Low deserved the best actor award, for a polished and professional performance as Frank Hunter, although I rate Keith Cummings a close contender for a moving presentation of Andrew Crocker-Harris, the once brilliant classical scholar, but a subject of scorn by pupils and teachers alike.

Illness had ended his career and a disloyal wife amongst other things weighed heavily upon his shoulders.

This actor had a firm grasp of the character, only one small fault, he tended to lose some projection on occasions.

Elaine Elliott's performance of Millie, his disloyal and spiteful wife, was powerfully correct and brought her the best actress award.

Danny McBeth, as the young Taplow, and Robert Gray, as the Headmaster, were invaluable additions to the production and a nice little scene between Ricky Davies and Suzanne Hooper, as newcomers arriving to view a flat, rounded off a production that was well lit and the setting was appropriate to the period (1949).

It came as a reminder that there are still some sound one-act plays that stand the passing of time. Michael Michael produced.

The second contribution was by Tom Stoppard and was more difficult to place.

A lighthearted piece, If You're Glad, I'll Be Frank, is set inside and outside a post office in the 60's and revolves around the voice behind the speaking clock.

Frank recognises the voice as that of his long lost wife and sets out to rescue her. Relentlessly the voice drones on and June Gray had the unenviable task of announcing minute by minute with little respite whilst number of characters dashed in and out in obeisance to time.

Keith Dye played the demented husband and the rest of the cast handled the amusing dialogue with aplomb as we learned, from the satirical comments, of man's servitude to time. Rober Gray produced.