Perfect cast made this party go with a swing

The task of staging one of Harold Pinter's plays should not be taken on lightly. Things could go so wrong if the actors fell only slightly off beat.
But Shrewsbury Theatre Guild got it just right with their presentation of Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party, directed by Mark Smith, which ran for three nights last week.
The perfect casting managed to warm up a first night audience to the point of hysteria. The sparse set became a boarding house in a seaside resort and we could almost feel the sand between our toes.
It was punchy, gripping and all the actors were totally convincing as they threw themselves into the warped characters.
Jill Teear as Meg Boles was a very believable and comical drunk, as she dared to mix scotch with Irish whisky and her performance was excellent throughout. She really was the belle of the ball.
Her more reserved and long suffering husband Petey, played by Patrick Campbell, appears at first to be a bit of a yes man, but we quickly learn that he is prepared to stand his ground.
James Ashfield was excellent as the peculiar long-term guest Stanley, the frustrated musician who has his own personal reasons for wanting to get his feet under the table.
He skilfully tackled the complexity of the character in a way that I'm sure would have made Pinter proud.
The sexy and manipulating Lulu, played by Laura Lee certainly got Stanley's pulse racing, but it all ended in tears as she lost at blind man's buff
But the party would never have happened without Adie Andrews and Keith Clarke, who played Goldberg and McCann the suited mafia types who bring the boarding house guest list to a very crowded three.
Both played their roles brilliantly and they played well together.
The Birthday Party was first presented in 1959 at the Arts Theatre Cambridge, and it's good to know that Meg's cornflakes and fried bread taste just as good today as they did then.

LORNA RUTTER (Shrewsbury Chronicle)