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THE ALLEYNIAN 709
with complete confidence, and Alfie Cook was exceptional as Truffaldino – the two were a compelling pairing. The play is complicated and requires assured direction, so it was no surprise that the prize for Best Direction went to Alfie Cook. Vincent Ikegbunam produced the cameo performance of the evening as the farcically useless and incompetent singing waiter; he took the audience by storm. Zubayr Ghufoor adapted a short extract from the film Four Lions for his House, Johnson. Charlie McNeil and Zubayr captured the comedy and pathos of the film admirably, the clumsy and ridiculous terrorists unable to fulfil the simplest of tasks. Whilst being comic, the extract still conveyed the menace of the story. Sidney’s Upstart Crows , written by Michael Punter for the College more than a decade ago, produced some of the performances of the evening, with Leo Milne holding the audience in the palm of his hand as Kit Marlowe. It came as no surprise that Milne was awarded the accolade of Best Actor, while plaudits also go to Charlie Humphreys, who was an excellent foil for Leo’s assured and compelling performance. The play was theatrical, moving and well directed, with notable repartee and sword-play from Angus Heal, Jonny Brearley and Jimmy Shepherd. Raleigh’s Armed Robbery for Dummies was full of wit and dramatic devices that truly engaged the audience. Ben Potter adapted the film and played the lead in an ensemble of five. The play was full of ‘laugh out loud’ moments that left the audience wanting more. Our adjudicator was Kwaku Mills-Bampoe, an Old Alleynian and recent graduate from RADA. It was obvious that he was delighted to be in the theatre and happy to perform to an audience again. His adjudication was full of good advice, humour and professional expertise. The evening was a real delight, and a tribute to the drama team who co-ordinated the event between lockdowns. What a pity it was that more people could not be invited, especially parents. ‘Onwards and upwards’ though: we look forward to the competition being back to normal shape in the autumn of 2021.
The material spanned the centuries from
Goldoni to Godber, with a smattering of Elizabethan and Victorian, as
well as original contemporary adaptations
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