THERE was plenty of tittering and even some laugh out loud moments when the hit BBC sitcom Up Pompeii was brought to the stage at Droitwich’s Norbury Theatre.
This was live theatre at its best – there was loads of ad libbing between the characters and between the characters and the audience – almost as much as there was double entendre – and there was chariot loads of that.
You will struggle to find a show where the cast enjoyed themselves so much on the stage – that was clear to see. The actors even struggled to keep straight faces through some of the scenes.
The pick of the performers was Paul Bellamy as slave Lurcio. He held the show together magnificently and his exchanges with the crowd, whether telling them to laugh more or enjoying the jokes with them, was second to none, The audience clearly empathised with the character and the predicament he was in – keeping all the people happy all the time.
Andy brown was marvellous as moral master Ludicrus Sextus and the scene where he was in his pants being chased around the stage by Suspenda (Susan Wyld-Bennett) at the end of act one had the audience in hysterics.
Sophie Wick as the racy Voluptua was a delight to watch and Melanie Brown was suitably commanding as stern mistress Ammonia.
Glenys Smith was as Senna the Soothsayer set the scene well and helped Bellamy keep the production ticking over nicely.
The second act took the crowd on a roller-coaster – just when you thought Lurcio had got this fantastic farce sorted, things took a turn for the worse.
The best advice Lurcio (and indeed us) can give to potential audience members is get yourself up to the Norbury to see Up Pompeii.
There were plenty of smiling faces at the end of the show (and that was just the cast) – the audience were buzzing as well, reliving their memorable moments as they left the auditorium.
The remaining performances take place at 7.30pm Saturday (July 23) and from the Thursday to next Saturday (July 28 to 30).
To book tickets, which are £11 and £10, visit
norburytheatre.co.uk or call 01905 770154. The show contains mild nudity.
