A Great Cast!

When you're staging a play the first thing to get right is the cast.

Members of the cast in rehearsal (PHOTO: PHIL MANSELL)

With 'According to Claudia' I'm pleased to say we've got it nigh on perfect. We've had a few rehearsals now and the actors are beginning to feel their way into their characters.

Angharad Jones as Claudia (PHOTO: PHIL MANSELL)

Angharad Jones is proving to be a real find in the title role. Claudia is a woman who is desperately seeking happiness whilst showing total disregard for the feelings of those around her. 

She can be cutting and sarcastic, particularly to her sisters, and even to the man she hopes to make her fourth husband. 

Her bitterness becomes more apparent the more she drinks - and boy does she drink!

Karen Davies is delightful as the put-upon sister Belle. She manages to combine an air of vulnerability with an inner resilience that keeps her smiling whatever happens, even though we know she is hurting inside. 

Karen Jones (right) as Belle with Sue Morgan as Charlotte
(PHOTO: PHIL MANSELL)

Karen is a joy to watch - even though, as she points out, I seem to have her continually dashing around looking after everyone else. 

"I would have liked to sit down a bit more!" she quipped at rehearsals.

As the youngest sister Lucy, Eloise Rossiter brings a breath of Spanish sunshine into the faded grandeur of the family home. Newly arrived from the Costa del Sol, she is vivacious and lively. 

Eloise Rossiter as Lucy with Karen Davies as Belle
(PHOTO: PHIL MANSELL)

She obviously loves her husband, Micky, even though they are poles apart and from totally opposite ends of the social spectrum.

Micky is played by Paul Howells who is growing into the role of this former villain who has been softened by a love of literature and Lucy's obvious infatuation with him. Perhaps it is his gruff exterior and past life spent fighting to the top of the seedy underworld that draws her to him. 

Paul Howells (right) as Micky in a scene with
Lucy (Eloise Rossiter) (PHOTO: PHIL MANSELL)

Bob Brown as David has a laugh with Karen Davies as Belle
(PHOTO: PHIL MANSELL)

Bob Brown plays David, the successful writer of crime fiction, who finds himself thrust into the midst of this eccentric family where certain names are not mentioned and tensions are constantly rising to the surface. 

He is the calming influence - and we suspect he is making mental notes of all these people for use in one of his books.

Chris Bissex-Williams as Michael with Eloise Rossiter
as Eloise. (PHOTO: PHIL MANSELL)

Chris Bissex-Williams is perfect as the crusty Michael, a leading authority on Romanticism reduced to counting how many piles of dog poo there are on the common and regretting the choices his offspring have made.

Sue Morgan as Charlotte shows off one of her paintings to
Paul Howells as Micky (PHOTO: PHIL MANSELL)

Finally, Sue Morgan is obviously enjoying playing maiden aunt Charlotte who spends her days painting portraits of cats and dogs from adverts in magazines and studying horoscopes, to become "the voice of doom" at the breakfast table.

Each rehearsal is more enjoyable than the last as the cast become more engrossed in their roles. 

It's a real joy to watch - and I'm sure the actual performances will show the fruits of their hard work and effort.

'According to Claudia' is at the Dolman Theatre, Newport from 10 - 13 September. To book tickets phone 01633 263670 or visit www.dolmantheatre.co.uk.