Thursday 23rd to Saturday 25th February and Tuesday 28th February to 4th March 1989
Directed by Jo German
A terrorist attack, a body needing plastic surgery, two men with the same face, a baffled wife, a puzzled girlfriend, and a confused police force are some of the ingredients involved in Dario Fo's hilarious farce 'Trumpets and Raspberries'.
'Trumpets and Raspberries' is a farce with the traditional ingredients of mistaken identity and its hilarious consequences, but it also has a strong political message. It was first performed in 1981, under its original Italian title, Clacson, Trombette e Pernacchi (Claxons, Trumpets and Raspberries).
The fictional plot of this satire revolves around a real political figure, Gianni Agnelli, head of the Fiat corporation from 1966 to 2003. When wealthy Agnelli is disfigured in a failed kidnap attempt, he is rescued by humble Antonio, one of his Fiat employees. Antonio flees the scene when people start shooting at him, leaving his jacket on Agnelli's body. The rich and influential Agnelli is taken to hospital in Antonio's jacket, where he mistakenly has his face reconstructed in the poor Antonio's likeness. Chaotic confusion ensues as Antonio finds himself chief suspect in a kidnap plot against himself.
This play was staged at Havant Arts Centre, East Street Havant - Bench Theatre's home since 1977.
Rosa | Robbie Cattermole |
Antonio | David Penrose |
Agnelli | David Penrose |
Lucia | Debbie Valentine |
Inspector | Vincent Adams |
Magistrate | Peter Corrigan |
Doctor | Nic Moseley |
Policeman | Alan Jenkins |
Policeman | John Valentine |
Man with Dishwasher | Steve Foden |
Orderly and Secret Agent | Janice Bell |
Orderly and Secret Agent | Peter Le Feuvre |
Orderly and Secret Agent | Steve Foden |
Orderly | John Valentine |
Secret Agent | Richard Heyburn |
Secret Agent | Nic Moseley |
Director | Jo German |
Stage Manager | Pete Codd |
Lighting and Sound | Jacquie Penrose Jane Hemsley-Brown Jim McCarthy David Hemsley-Brown |
Poster Design | Charles Payne |
Set Design | David Penrose |
Front of House | Terry Cattermole |
Dario Fo's farce 'Trumpets and Raspberries' is more than mere comedy, and this long play leaves disturbing thoughts about the workings of the establishment. Interwoven with the slapstick - the furniture containing secret agents, the funnel down Agnelli's neck through which he has to be fed, the endless referral to suppositories - is a jabbing political message.
This play is one that will be remembered as one of the profound comments on the 1980s, and the Bench Theatre's performance is one that is well worth seeing. 'Trumpets' runs until March 4th.
The News, 24th February 1989