Kiss Me Like U Mean It

Bolton Little Theatre’s production is Kiss Me Like U Mean it by Chris Chibnall best known for creating and writing Broadchurch for ITV as well as being involved with Born and Bred, Doctor Who, Torchwood and Life On Mars. Pretty impressive. This comedy is set around two couples’ love life - one just starting up, the other fifty years of being in love. For the first half the set is the outside of the houses complete with upstairs window, which is used to see the romping older couple complete with sexy under wear. Two doors to each house with flower bed and climbing plants in-between and square of fake grass. Downstairs window stage left has muted disco lights pulsing. Just off-centre stage a garden table with mismatched chairs and stage left a garden bench. Stage right a full dustbin and bird bath, around them littered with pizza boxes, cans, bottle and deflating balloons. Outside the house stage right is a bird feeder, washing hung plus dead plant on the floor in a pot. 

The second half the set swings round and we are inside Don and Edie’s house. Comprising of entrance door on the back wall window to the right looking down on the previous scene. With leaf table full of a mixture of various alcoholic bottles collected over the years. Chairs and a settee complement the room with sideboard and matching lamps, also half table stage left. As the room is set on an angle stage right the outside night sky is visible complete with moon and stairs on to the roof. This is a well thought out set and works for the actors. Set design by Jolyon Coombs, Set Construction Jeff Lunt, Andrew Gradwell, Liz Pickles, Steve Butler, Jade Mulraney and Jolyon Coombs. Stage Manager was Jim Smith and Stage Crew James Casterton and Nicola Bateman. 

Lighting enhanced the set and the sound just flowed, opening up with Sex Bomb by Tom Jones for the first half. The dull thud of music playing was correctly pitched and the second half opened up with Just One Look by R&B singer Doris Troy, its composer and a nod to the referred to Wigan Casino famous for championing originals. Lighting and Sound was under the capable hands of Ashley Foster. Props were by Viv Bloomfield and Dorothy Green who sourced copious amounts of bottles and cans.  Hair and Make-up were all in keeping with the characters (not credited). 

Sandra Simpson the Director makes an announcement before the show goes up apologising to anyone called Neil (The name does get a battering!).  Sandra knows what she wants from the production and it shows. This particular play was side-lined a few times due to the fact it could cause offence (not least to the Neils in the world). There was a real synergy between the actors and this was shown by how they helped each other out in character - keeping up the flow of dialogue - that’s teamwork.

Kimberley Riley-Shipperbottom played Ruth, the girl nearly engaged to the infamous Neil. Playing the hard nut to crack and not always checking what comes out of her mouth. She is drawn like a moth to a candle to Tony. She can fight and run inside to see what’s happening at the party but her fate is sealed when she first shares a cigarette with him.  Kimberley had great chemistry with Dean Lane playing Tony. Tony falls quickly and hard for Ruth and his gauche mannerism with her is played out splendidly: watching, you can see this couple have something, the way they are with each other, the silences they inhabit work well to build this relationship and the audience witness their journey.  Deans’ declaration as Tony about how he wants to love Ruth was poetic. The mundanity of the list he reads out - what he wants to do with her, telling crap jokes, boring his mates about her, watching her sleep and going to Tesco on a Sunday with her was spot on. A lovely moment.

Don played by Alan Carney holds a big secret and his meeting with Tony is awkward to start with never mind that he asks if he has any curry flavoured condoms. Tony funnily enough doesn’t but manages for a price to get him one from the party. Don used to be a salesman and has an opinion or advice on anything - he is sure of one thing: his love for Edie played by Carol Butler. I failed to mention that there are not many actors who introduce their characters with their bottoms from an upstairs bedroom - yes I said bottoms! First we see Edie in sexy lingerie and then we see Don in his tight boxers. No faces, just bottoms. Hilarious. Carol appears and from the start there are subtle clues that all is not what it seems. A happy very full marriage is evident and the love between each other is clear. Carol as Edie just gives a touch of angst at times and dithers but most of the time is confident. It’s not until the Second Act that things start to unfold to the audience and to each other. Hilarious Edie finding out that Don has never actually liked how she cooks eggs and his mates had christened her Cool Hand Luke. Edie decided to do a quiz she got out of the paper and Don’s prize is to drink the entire stash of alcohol they have had for years - including something rank from the old Yugoslavia and a bottle of champagne of similar vintage (I may use this on my hubby!). Carol’s journey through Edie unravels and the scene where she lists a plethora of swear words is hilarious. Through the comedy we see the angst and the realisation she actually cannot be without Don and their fate is sealed. Lovely sensitive performance from Carol.

Congratulations to Cast and Crew and congratulations to the committee taking on the ribaldry - it paid off and thank you for the hospitality for Matthew and I

 

Liz Hume-Dawson, D5 Rep

 

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