Raising a giggle in Lauder

Lauder Amateur Dramatic Society’s decision to tip their feet into comedy was given an enthusiastic thumbs-up from the audience at the weekend.
By Kevin Janiak
Published 21st Mar 2022, 18:03 BST
Updated 21st Mar 2022, 18:03 BST
Gail Millar, Anne McKinven and Catriona Wilkinson play it for laughs.Gail Millar, Anne McKinven and Catriona Wilkinson play it for laughs.
Gail Millar, Anne McKinven and Catriona Wilkinson play it for laughs.

Fresh from their Christmas panto, the five players had only six weeks to perfect their routines, and going by the hails of laughter in the crowd, it was time well spent.

The troupe performed six mini-skits at the town’s Public Hall on Friday and Saturday night. The first, Anger Management for Dogs, written by Rupert Haigh, saw Rex and Fido (Stuart Watkins and Jake Mirley) struggle to keep their cool.

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Then Gail Millar, Ann McKinven and Catriona Wilkinson showed their skills in characterisation, playing three American women chortling about a naughty anniversary present (V for What? by Natasha Tavoukjian), and then taking on the roles of older ladies, providing countless opportunities for misheard lines (Bag Ladies and Freshly Laid by Frank Gibbons).

Stuart Watkins and Jake Mirley in The Colonel's Wife.Stuart Watkins and Jake Mirley in The Colonel's Wife.
Stuart Watkins and Jake Mirley in The Colonel's Wife.

Watkins and Mirley then took misogyny to a whole new level in a sketch about two high-ranking officers (The Colonel’s Wife, by Bob Hammond).

Then all five players delighted in a scene of true farce, centring on a pair of Trinny and Susannah types (The Lipstick, by Jos Bloggs).

The sketches have certainly warmed the appetite for more live comedy at the venue.