MEMBERS of Abingdon Drama Club are marking their 70th anniversary by bringing a UK premiere to the stage of the town’s Unicorn Theatre.

Wealthy banker’s daugher Diana has it all in playwright Robin Hawdon’s farce I Do, I Do, I Do, bring beautiful, intelligent and sweet-natured — she’s the sort of girl men swoon over. Diana, played by Hayley Jones, is offically betrothed to the much-envied Ja

mie (Ashley Curran), but she also has two other men in her life — Tom (Terry Atkinson), the attractive boyfriend of Jamie’s sister, Holly (Alex Codling), and her oldest friend Geoff (Lee Orchard), who is to be the best man at her wedding.

And, after promising marriage to all three, Diana finds herself having to choose which one should be walking down the aisle with her.

Her quandry is how to make the big decision — should it based on familiarity, suitability or sexual passion?

Tension mounts as Diana is faced with making the call in time for the planned big society wedding, but it’s not until the final curtain that her choice is revealed. In between time, her bewildered mother Ann, played by Geraldine McTier, finds herself having to act as a negotiator, a counsellor and a fortune teller, among other roles, to a household of distraught people.

Ensuring the action keeps flowing is director Keith Hales, who was also responsible for the choice of play to mark the club’s special year.

With a long and distinguished reputation for staging farces, both old and new, Keith was immediately enamoured with Hawdon’s latest comedy and put it forward to the club for a reading night. And, much laughter later, the play was ‘green-lighted’ by club members to head to the stage of the Unicorn in Checker Walk from Wednesday to Saturday, July 9 to 12, at 7.30pm.

Club member John Hawkins said: “The relaxed atmosphere of ADC and the can-do attitude of the members to turn their hand to any sort of show makes it ideal for this new work. It is ours to shape and bring to life as we think best, without being burdened by the weight of previous productions and audience expectations.”

Mr Hawkins added: “Once cast, the predominantly young group of members have had a lot to learn. “It is an ensemble piece so all six have a fair amount of dialogue, but as with any farce it is just as much about the timing, pace and situation that the characters find themselves in. All has to be rehearsed and honed to make the final piece as funny as possible.”

Challenges for the club’s wardrobe and technical experts have included finding matching wedding outfits for all the male members of the cast and a wedding dress for the bride-to-be that looks good on stage as well as fitting through some of the Unicorn’s tighter backstage spaces and how to create their own miniature version of Rodin’s famous sculpture The Thinker which plays a central role in parts of the action.

With the play being a UK premiere, the club is advising theatre fans to book their tickets early to avoid disappointment. The tickets are £10 and £7 concessions for over-60s, under-12s, students and club members. For groups of six or more, tickets are £7 (£7.25 when booked online). Email tickets@unicornboxoffice.org.uk or call 0845 4636638. For more details, see www.abingdon-drama-club.com