Curtain Up!

Richard Williams makes his directorial debut for Present Stage Theatre Company (PSTC) with this all female cast in Peter Quilter’s comedy ‘Curtain Up!’.  The comedy is about a group of five women who are left an equal share in a run-down theatre in a will from someone they all knew well.  The women have to find a way to overcome their differences to bring the theatre back to life.

Donna Williams puts in a believable performance as Theresa, still compensating for the death of her father by hoping to make his theatre a success.

Judith Williams as Pam, Theresa’s mother, is convincing as she displays her bitterness towards her late husband’s new wife, Jackie.

Lara Crawford gives a lively performance as Sharon throughout the comedy. Lara also created the choreography for the piece.

Helen Thomas as Betty, Pam’s mother, is well cast and her antics in the sparkly track suit in the Aerobic class drew great laughter from the audience. The cast is completed by Karen Shepherd as Jackie who provides a suitable target for Pam’s envy.

The five experienced actors work well together in their attempts to raise funds to save the theatre. The comedy really flows when the fundraising concert is due and a replacement for the superstar has to be found.

Praise must also be given to the Director for inserting a film showing the theatre through the ages.

To distract from the scene changes the timelines were ably displayed on signs  carried on with various antics by Gavin Baldwin.

The set in Act One was suitable for displaying a run-down theatre foyer. The stage crew engineered a brilliant transformation to represent the theatre stage for Act Two.

It is always great to see a comedy written for a female cast.

We were made very welcome on our visit by their Chairman, David Crawford. Present Stage has a great wealth of talent, on and off stage, well done to everyone.

Philip and Margaret Jones

District 1

This is the opinion of the Reviewers

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