July 5th 2025
As part of the Hunstanton One act play festival Mr. Hayter reviewed the performance of The Adventures of Sutton Bridge Players, written by Damian Woods and directed by Ren Shilcock. This is his review
I got the adventures of Sutton Bridge Players, written by Damian Woods—he’s not an original one—directed by Ren Shilcock. An adult presentation, although you may have spotted there was one member of the cast who is under 18, and frankly I’ve got suits older than than you Holly. Sutton Bridge Players are a relatively new group. Ren, how long have you been together?
“Four years!” Four years. How far they have come—this afternoon was undoubtedly their best yet. It was funny, very funny—but much of the comedy came from the delivery. The set was impressive—The sheer volume of cross suggests a sizeable parade came across the river this morning.
I loved the steps on stage right. I thought they gave extra interest—a nice touch. Lighting wasn’t very imaginative but did everything it needed to do. This production, in my opinion, was all about the performances. These guys worked so well together—confident with their lines, led by Jason Carnell as leader Tom, who handled all the dialogue.
There were no weaklings. When you’ve watched a lot of amateur theatre, as I certainly have, you tend to fear and dread the pauses and silences—it generally means someone has forgotten a line. Not so in this mini masterpiece—every gap is filled with quality acting.
And I very soon relaxed into the whole event. Paula, you’re a performer, you have… and you were in the sense of time with a loud and proud liberty to let everybody know—especially just how much work you put into that performance. My hat is completely off to director Ren Shilcock and everybody.
Perfectly placed notes. Perfect framing for a very entertaining piece. I heard every word—and I have a feeling that you all did too. A performance of this quality was always coming—I’m just so glad that it came my way.”
Sutton Bridge Players 