LADIES DAY

This play, follows the lives and fortunes of four ladies who work in a fish filleting plant, all of whom have their dreams and problems, and as such the play needs a strong cast, which was achieved by four ladies with very different personas and drawbacks in their lives, and one man with multiple personas!

The set was minimal for the work line, but served the cast well, and I liked the introduction of boxes that contained the casts accessories for when they got dressed up to go to Ladies Day at the races.  It worked well.

The backdrop for the race scenes was also fairly simple, but nicely painted with plenty of detail, looking bright and suiting the feel of the piece.  Lighting was good throughout, and I liked the background music, which was very upbeat and relevant to the script.  Sound effects were also appropriate.

The costumes were all very suitable for each character, I liked the symmetry of the work overalls and shoes, then the diversity of the ladies ‘own’ clothes for their visit to the races.  The sole gentleman in the cast wore clothes applicable to each character.

Jan Westgarth (Pearl), was the leader of the pack, facing retirement but wanting to try and find her long time lover at the races, as he was a bookie.  The poignancy of the final almost dream sequence between Pearl and Barry was nicely handled, using spots and low lighting.  Jan gave a very dynamic and down to earth portrayal, showing acceptance of her plight and the final resolution.

Pearl instigated the visit to Ladies Day, the other ladies went along with it with varying reservations, I felt their disappointment when their final horse failed to win, but then their elation at the end of the play when they found out that the winner had been disqualified and they had in fact won, so all their dreams could come true.

Viv Fairley (Jan) was the softer slightly downtrodden older lady, nursing a secret longing for Joe the foreman, whilst trying to keep her daughter beholden to her, as she was scared of being alone.  A very charming portrayal from a lady who always looks cool and elegant, whilst showing a real understanding of her character.

Abi Longland (Shelley) was the go-getter of the group, craving male company, whilst hiding the fact that she has huge debts.  Some difficult lines to deliver, but all done with aplomb.  We saw both sides of Shelley, the confidence, but also the insecurities.  A multi-faceted portrayal.

Julie Gough (Linda) was the naïve lady in the group, initially frightened of her mother, but then standing up to her, and of all the ladies, the only one who managed to find a friend in jockey Patrick.  I liked the simplicity that Julie gave the part, a good foil to the other ladies.

Jonathan Field played all the male characters, with differing personalities, the slightly strident Joe, the lonely jockey Patrick, enjoying his chance meeting with Linda.  The otherworldly Barry visiting Pearl to explain why their affair came to an abrupt end, the very ebullient Jim, commentating on the races and trying to seduce Shelley with the promise of a showbiz life, and the very drunk Kevin, trying his luck.  A wealth of characters all very well-drawn.

All in all a charming play, nicely done, with a strong cast.

It was nice to see WDS back in the mix, in the newly refurbished Memorial Hall, which felt really nice, and from an audience point of view it worked well.

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