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April
2004 saw the beginning of Vicki's most recent UK tour as Pamela Willey, in
the Ray Cooney farce Out Of Order.
First
produced in 1990, the plot centres around Richard Willey an up and coming
Government Junior Minister married to the beautiful and charming Pamela.
Not content with one relationship, he plots to strike up a liaison with
the leader of the oppositions secretary while telling his wife he's
attending an all night sitting. The discovery of a corpse in Willey's
hotel suite leads to chaos as he panics and sends for his P.P.S. to
provide a cover up. Chaos leads to mayhem as the lies escalate when Pamela
arrives to surprise her husband.
Written
during the long Conservative Government reign of the 80’s and 90’s as a
sequel to Cooney’s Two into One, Out of Order received the 1991 Olivier
Award for Comedy of the Year. A hysterical spider’s web of deceit, it is
easily adapted to relate to any political party that happen to be in power
at the time, making it one of the most topical plays ever written.
Produced by Ian Dickens Productions, this was Vicki’s fifth tour with the
company since 1998 and gave her the opportunity to be reunited with old
friends and colleagues. ‘It’s been a wonderful tour,’ explains Vicki ‘the
cast are brilliant and the energy incredible. Everyone gives two hundred
per cent. It’s very fast and written so brilliantly. The audiences love it
and after six months on the road, we haven’t had one bad crit but above
all everyone has had so much fun on and off the stage. It doesn’t get any
better than that.
Originally scheduled to run from April to Sept 2004 the play went on to
enjoy an extended run before finally closing in November. In a
predominately male cast, Giles Watling and David Callister starred
brilliantly as Richard Willey MP and the hapless P.P.S George Pigden while
Vicki registered her latest success with a performance of precision timing
delivered with consummate ease and a great deal of stage presence. Paul
Shane starred as the often bemused hotel manager who was succeeded in the
role by Barry Howard, Tina Hall and Holly Smith shared the role of Jane
Worthington and the cast was completed by Scott Wright, Terry O’Sullivan,
Patric Kearns, Kerry Wotton and Samantha Hughes.
Reviews
Worthing
 With a star
studied cast, this production is hilarious. Vicki Michelle brings her
charisma to the role of Pamela Willey in a flirtatious performance.
Bournemouth
Echo.
Vicki
Michelle shows her expertise as Willey's baffled wife.
The Darlington & Stockton Times.
The "wives"
Vicki Michelle, Tina Hall, Samantha Hughes and Kerry Wotton are here,
there and occasionally anyone but their basic character, in top farcical
form.
I.C.Wales
The ten
strong cast are bang on target.
Essex
Footlights.
The cast
have a razor sharp sense of timing.
Horsham Today.com
This was
classic farce at its best.
I.C.Newcastle
This could
very well be the light to counter the dark summer we've had so far.
Evening Gazette -
Colchester.
The packed
house thoroughly enjoyed the opening night of the production. |
