Surprise Package

Worcester Park Dramatic Society (WPDS)

Adrian Mann Theatre, NESCOT, Ewell

Reviewed by Tony Flook

With its coy sexual and lavatorial references, Surprise Package must have seemed dated even when it was set, in the 1970s – theatre had already moved on by then.

Nonetheless, Worcester Park Dramatic Society (WPDS) did what it could to breathe life into a play with a few jokes and the occasional amusing, if predictable, comical situation.

Hugh Jones' design, featuring a recognisable bar area, together with cane armchairs and metal furniture, made the most of the wide stage to create the lounge of a Balearic island hotel, geared to the package tour industry. David Boyd's lighting and Peter Foxall's sound enhanced the atmosphere.

Some members of the large cast seemed more at home than did others. David Ryland was on hand almost throughout as Juanito, proprietor of the Pension Maria, usually calm and ready to resolve problems. He lost his cool only when he mistakenly thought his fiancée, Rosita – a nicely-judged fiery interpretation by Lynda Mitchell – was cheating on him. These two, together with Hugh Jones with his measured performance as German guest, Fritz, always held their accents in character.

Overall, though, the tempo of the production, directed by Patricia Dale, was rather too even for a play with so little substance and which needed more pace to help paper over the cracks.