Welcome to Huntingdon Drama Club’s production of
Move Over Mrs Markham
How it brings back the memories! The sense that there’s a lot going on
out there, but you’re not brave enough to throw yourself into it wholeheartedly, so you just dip a toe in and feel you’re being very bold. Philip
and Joanna Markham represent the more traditional life and morals of
the ’50s, threatened and unwillingly transformed by the new permissive
society of the ’60s.
A good farce isn’t pure escapism. It works best when it provides a comic
treatment of subjects that could just as easily form the basis of a much
more serious play. Sex, both in marriage and outside it, how long you
have to know someone before it’s all right to have sex with them, how to
react to someone who seems to be gay, how far your sense of identity
depends on acting like the majority, whether retreating into Norfolk and
preferring dogs to people makes sense or is eccentric – these are some
of the themes that Mrs Markham touches on.
Once again, I’ve had the good fortune to work with a splendid team both
on stage and behind the scenes. So many people have contributed a
great deal of time, effort and good ideas, and I’m very grateful to all of
them – particularly Ann Monk, who has again done sterling work as producer.
I think everyone involved has enjoyed themselves creating this production. I certainly have,
and I very much hope that you, the audience, will
enjoy watching it.
Director of Move Over Mrs Markham