Pateley Bridge Dramatic Society : Gouthwaite Hall Review & Feedback

Passion, Treason & Treachery at the Playhouse!

Sir Thomas Ingilby meets three cast members who play his ancestors in Gouthwaite Hall - (l to r) Peter Buller (Sir William Ingilby), Christine Ward (Lady Catherine Ingilby) and Zoe Buller (Lady Ann Ingilby)

In 1609 at the Christmas feast at Gouthwaite Hall near Pateley Bridge, Travelling Players from Whitby entertained over one hundred guests with a 'seditious play' which mocked the Protestant faith of the time. Four hundred years later, Pateley Bridge Dramatic Society presented Gouthwaite Hall, a feast of words and music, centered around this event, to packed houses at the Pateley Bridge Playhouse.

Jerry Harvey played Sir John Yorke with great dignity and authority; Linda Harvey gave a strong performance as Lady Juliana Yorke, anxious at first, then later very touching when required to dismiss one of her servants. Their visitors were the Ingilbys from RipleyCastle; Peter Buller played Sir William as a passionate and fiery character when aroused; Christine Ward as his wife, the steadfast Lady Catherine, gave a fine display of strength in adversity. Rachel Smith as the servant Margaret was moving and eloquent when being dismissed; later vengeful in the court scene. The servant Joan was played with great warmth by Carol Bailey, whose voice added greatly to the choral music. Zoë Buller was wonderful as the young Lady Ann, innocent, charming and vulnerable; her solos were handled with great sweetness and tenderness.

Quentin Sands as The Attorney General Sir Henry Hobart, with Zoe Buller as Lady Ann Ingilby

The entry of the Travelling Players – Christopher Simpson (Nevin Ward), Robert Simpson (Stephen Rouse), Thomas Pant (Steve Boast) and Jack 'Drummer' Wood (Andy Wilson) gave us a virtuosic and hugely enjoyable display of acting as they introduced themselves with snatches from Shakespeare (or was it Christopher Simpson?)

Colin Mannion played the universally-disliked Protestant minister of PateleyBridge, William Stubbs, so well that I found my lip curling whenever this character was mentioned. The primary villain of the piece, though, was the priest-hunter Sir Stephen Proctor, a truly evil, grasping man played with relish and panache by Nick Neale, making a remarkable Playhouse debut.

Jerry Harvey as Sir John Yorke, Peter Buller as Sir William Ingilby, Nick Neale as Sir Stephen Proctor

The seditious play itself, given by the Travelling Players, was great fun to watch with comedy, hellfire and Beelzebub himself, but it resulted in the incarceration of the two families in the Fleet Prison. While there, the Attorney General (Quentin Sands), present to indict the Yorkes and Ingilbys, fell for the beautiful Lady Anne, and, in the strangest, most disturbing, wooing I have ever seen, explained to Lady Anne the punishment that her uncles could expect if they were found guilty of complicity in the Powder Treason. Sir Henry’s tender yet harrowing delivery and Lady Anne’s responses were beautifully done.

Quentin Sands as The Attorney General Sir Henry Hobart, Nevin Ward as The Lord Chief Justice the Earl of Shaftesbury, and Stephen Rouse as Sir Edward Philips Justice of the Common Pleas

The musicianship in the play was of the very highest order, from the breathtaking choruses which opened and closed the play to the excellent instrumental work from the three musicians, Stephen Rouse (exceptional on the rebec and lute), Nevin Ward (lute and cittern) and Andy Wilson (perfect on linking percussion).

Nevin Ward, the consummate writer of both words and music had taken us through a complicated but fascinating part of our local history full of passion, treason and treachery. The high standard of acting from the cast and Christine and Nevin Ward's direction ensured that all the characters were totally believable. The simple but effective set, so well dressed and lit by the team and the beautiful costumes from Christine Ward and Rachel Smith made a truly memorable performance.

Congratulations to everyone.

Andrea Ives

[this review appeared in the Pateley Bridge & Nidderdale Herald]

The cast of Gouthwaite Hall

Feedback for Gouthwaite Hall

Thanks goodness we got to see the play - probably the best you have done yet: intrigue, plots, dialogue, treachery, - this play has the lot.

Makes one want to learn more of the history and characters - fantastic stuff a most enjoyable evening.

The costumes should be nominated for an Oscar.....

The tension in the first Act was unbearable

You have managed to blow us away twice within a calendar year!

The costumes were another tour de force

A superb work - brilliantly crafted with so many subtle layers and allusions

We were riveted from the off with that spellbinding performance of There is a Flower - what a multi-talented cast that was!

Such a powerful text performed by such good actors

It was a triumph - and we loved it!

Congratulations on another great success, we thoroughly enjoyed the play - and the costumes were superb.

An excellent play!

We so enjoyed the play. If I tell you we sat for an hour after we got home, going through all the allusions to William Shakespeare, you will know the impact it had on us!

...you worked skilfully with the idea of the play within the play within the play - so clever. In your text there was everything the playgoer seeks

There were swords, daggers, bangs and shocks, and your play on who is the playwright here was brilliant

A true Shakespearian play!

We cannot tell you enough how much we enjoyed your presentation of “Gouthwaite Hall”.

From start to finish we were gripped in the Dale's history learning about such a fascinating period. Without your production we would never have known so much about this era and its dangers. Thank you for bringing it to life.

The play was wonderfully written, directed, acted and managed in every way. It was a credit to you all.

A really excellent production

We thoroughly enjoyed the play - we were very impressed by the professional performance

Your skill in both writing and producing are to be commended.