New Forest Players 
Ballard School, New Milton
Caroline Burr 
09 April 2026
A Bunch of Amateurs, co- written by Ian Hislop (Have I Got News for You) and Nick Newman relates to the arrival of Jefferson Steele, a washed-up Hollywood star, who comes to Stratford to play the lead in King Lear. The problem is that it is Stratford, Sussex and it’s an amateur company! For their part, casting someone who would hopefully make their show a hit, is a ruse by the group to save the venue being closed by the Council.
This play provides some tricky challenges – there are numerous scenes, which usually require costume and scenery changes. Most of these were well handled with brief blackouts and appropriate covering music. However slick these were, it still interrupted the flow of the narrative and made the action disjointed, especially towards the end of the play where the scenes are often very short.
The play also requires at least some rudimentary knowledge of Shakespeare, as there are some very long passages from Lear. These were well done by the cast but were difficult to navigate as we are given little context by the authors. These are both criticisms of the writing and particularly the structure of the play, resulting perhaps from the origins of the piece as a screenplay. Despite this NFP are to be congratulated for providing a very enjoyable night out.
The set was generally well designed, but the back wall, which was mainly white, would have benefitted from more set dressing. The group had paid a lot of attention to detail, which was evident in the props, costumes and furniture, and we all enjoyed the introduction of the mobility scooter!
Nigel Davies, as the faded film star, has a crucial role as the arrogant, spoilt, egotistical newcomer. Clearly out of his depth, with no respect for amateurs or The Bard – he suggests cuts to Lear, as it is too wordy – Nigel played the more unpleasant aspects of the character very well and timed his comedic lines accurately. His American accent was excellent. He also evoked sympathy as the story progressed, as we see how his career and relationships are both at a low ebb.
Dorothy (Sarah Haberfield) with the role as the Director (amongst others) was sweet-natured and calm with ‘the show must go on’ mentality. However, she showed her strength in not pandering to Jefferson’s outlandish demands and navigating the different personalities within the cast. Sarah gave a very natural performance and was totally believable as the hard-pressed organiser.
Jessica Steel, the neglected daughter, played by Su Yi Cranshaw pointed the comedy well, and introduced a lot of energy with her entrances, while Alan Whitty, who had some great lines, was credible as the eager to please Denis, who is overly concerned with his eyes! Belinda Neal has a less colourful part as Lauren Bell – the sponsor’s wife – but the massage scene with Jefferson was one of the funniest in the play.
Judy Anders who played Mary Plunkett, the avid fan, gave us a lovely performance extracting all the comedy from the lines and portraying a fully rounded character. Her facial expressions were excellent. Ian Prescott was a delight at playing the jealous Nigel, who feels he should be cast as Lear. All his jokes landed and he played the role with confidence, including a well-choreographed sword fight with Jefferson.
The auditorium was used well to break the fourth wall, and the Director Lyn Lockyer had clearly rehearsed the cast thoroughly. The playwrights called the show a love letter to amateur dramatics, and despite my reservations about the play itself, the audience very much enjoyed the evening. The run continues until Sat 11 April.
