Competition Play-Off - Results

Peter Thompson writes:

Monday : 4 February 2013 at the Phoenix Artist Club


Years ago the widow of a P-P member, Doreen McKay, donated a shield to be presented annually to the writer of the best 10 minute competition entry. It is now emblazoned with the names of the country’s most famous comedy writers who have used their success as a springboard to even greater things. Well, something like that.

On Monday 4 February we lined up the winning entries and runners-up from the year’s three competitions and had them performed again and marked out of 10. The result was extremely close, except that Tim Gambrell trailed in last place with 203 points for THE TOILETS OF TERROR, his entry for the CRISIS, WHAT CRISIS? competition. The story line was, I think, the thwarting of a plot to sabotage the Olympics by blocking all the toilets in Greater London. There were many disgusting puns and much ribald laughter but Tim wasn’t there to give it 10 – it was his turn to mind the baby – and without his support it sank to the bottom.

Peter Vincent’s CRISIS play, IS THE QUEEN AT SANDRINGHAM?, received my personal vote for the best title of the evening. It told the terrifying story of Phil Philmar and Denise O’Leary driving inland to avoid a Tsunami that was heading for Norfolk. Not enough laughs to get it more than 248 points, but well in touch with the leaders. William Gordon deployed Phil again as the great detective of Baker Street, having this time to save the honour of his medical friend, Silas Hawkins, who had been shopped by Mrs Hudson (Elizabeth Trueblood, of course, who played almost as many parts that night as Phil). The title, 50 SHADES OF DORIAN GRAY, tells you all you need to know about the plot (253points).

By a remarkable casting of the votes, Debbie Maya came second and third equal with her two competition winners DIVORCE PARTY PREP, which won the GOING FOR GOLD competition without mentioning the Olympics once, and THE WAITER, which won the CATWALK competition with almost more people on stage than in the audience. We were treated to a great soft shoe shuffle by the eponymous waiter, Jethro Dykes who lost his job as a waiter but got snapped up for the new production of the Chorus Line (261 points each).

The overall winner was William Gordon, not for the first time, with 276 points for WRITING FOR THE OLYMPICS, in which Phil Philmar (ITMA) told the sad story of the Writers Rescue Group and its missionary work amongst authors who cannot stop writing. What a great evening and a big round of applause for Natasha Staples who stepped up as our new Competitions Secretary, having been appointed less than 24 hours before, and gave us a brilliant evening of excellent original writing and fine performances.