One of the hardest things for an actor is holding the
audience’s interest alone on stage without speaking – and for the first few
minutes of ‘Forget-Me-Knot’, that is exactly the task of Simon Lynch; not only
does he rise to the challenge admirably, but his shambling entrance, awkward
removal and dropping of coat, faux-important shuffling of papers on his desk and
frustrated wait for his unseen colleague to answer the phone immediately give
us the nature of his character, and are a triumph of talented acting and the
skilled directing of Steve Reading.
By the time we meet the recipient of his next phone call,
the abrupt, arrogant Mrs Zeinfeld, played superbly by Helen Reading, we are
drawn into the confused and confusing world of Detective Inspector Munroe, and
the hilarity has already begun.
We can sympathise to an extent with the Inspector’s difficulties:
he has on his hands a man who appears to be Robert Zeinfeld, but who has
apparently lost his memory, is in the wrong town and may or may not be
recognised by his wife. Drew Adcock as Robert (or not...) is an excellent foil
to the Inspector’s impatience to get the bottom of the mystery, as he by turns complies
meekly with his questioning and shows his own frustration at being told he is, then
is not Robert. The quick-fire exchanges between the two are a highlight of the
play, including such lines as: ‘The balls may ache, but that’s no excuse for
letting grammar slip.’
The staging supports the play’s fast pace perfectly: the
main stage is split to depict two separate rooms in the police station which
are alternately lit to provide a smooth transition between scenes, while a
small thrust stage houses the few domestic scenes, primarily giving us an
insight into another of the Inspector’s problems – his relationship with his
busy doctor wife, played with a perfect mixture of authority and panic by Amy
Burns, who is reluctant to come to the station to give her medical opinion on
the apparent amnesiac – until his name is mentioned...
Who is the mystery caller to Robert’s phone? Why does Mrs
Zeinfeld identify this man as her husband and then claim she has never seen him
before? What is the significance of topiary pheasants – I mean peacocks? And
frying pans? Is the real Robert Zeinfeld in Leicester or Blackpool?
To find out, you’ll have to come along to see this very
funny play at The Apollo Theatre. You’ll be as confused as the Inspector – but considerably
more entertained and amused.
‘Forget-Me-Knot’ will be performed tonight, and then next
Tuesday to Friday inclusive; shows start at 7.30pm and are kindly sponsored by
the Vectis Sunrise Rotary Club.
