Ladies’ Day

The warmth of the March afternoon was matched by the warm welcome at the matinee of Henfield Theatre Company’s production of ‘Ladies Day’ written by Amanda Whittington.  Imaginatively directed by John Coit and seamlessly put together by production manager Jane Jones, this was a funny play with unexpected depth.  

The set (designed by Dave Smith and his team) was simple but effective using a screen projection to portray the relevant locations. There was also a replica of an actual York race track fence which was well used by the cast especially by Alice Malyon when she was hilariously drunk. The props managed by Susie Shenston and Vanessa Tindall were similarly minimal with a metal work area, white china canteen type mugs and scarily realistic looking knives. The simplicity of the set accentuated the vibrancy of the actors and made scene changes quick and smooth. Elegantly costumed stage hands who moved the minimal furniture with ease and efficiency also contributed to the slick transitions between scenes. 

Every part of the stage was beautifully lit by Gabriella Naylor and Peter Sheppard. The gradual fading of the light in the scene between Pearl and the deceased Barry made this unexpected development surprisingly eerie. Complemented by the precise, well amplified sound and music from Sylvie Ashthorpe and Peter Ingledew the audience were treated to a near immersive experience. 

There was impressive attention to detail in the costumes thanks to the work of Lyn Fryer and her team. One example was that the women had all of their hair completely covered under their caps when they were wearing overalls. This plain but practical look was not only accurate to the fish factory setting but it accentuated the glamour of the women when they transitioned into their race day outfits. The race day costumes, perfectly matching bags and headwear (which stayed firmly in place for the duration of the play) looked wonderful and were in keeping with the four women’s emerging personalities. In particular Shelly’s form fitting red dress and killer shoes spoke volumes as did Pearl’s softer, flowing pastels.  

The accents deployed by the cast were convincing and consistent across a range of emotions for the duration of the play. Jim McCormack delivered the racing commentary in the most beautiful Queen’s English which somehow made his attempted exploitation of Shelly seem all the more sinister. His commentary of the races was utterly convincing and his display of race ‘sign language’ and explanation of horse nomenclature was as authentic as it was interesting.  Joe, carefully played by Nick Cryer, had a clear, soft Yorkshire accent and used it to create a warm and likeable supporting character. Rebel Atkinson as the jockey, bookie, ticket tout and gambler showed huge versatility in creating his four different characters with apparent ease and confidence. His dispassionate description of the dark side to horse racing clearly shocked the audience. It provided a powerful contrast to the glamour of the races and brought significant depth to the play.  

But the show ultimately belonged to the four women who lit up the auditorium with their performances. Without exception they created realistic, relatable characters by drawing out both their humour in the present and the sadness of their back stories.  

Shelly played by Sarah Jenner-Jones was a force of nature both in appearance and action. She was the anchor woman of the production who with her strident speech and sensuous movement created the energy that the rest of the cast fed off. This was however a nuanced performance where she portrayed not only the flamboyant humour of her character but also the anxiety of a woman burdened by debt. This was particularly evident when she portrayed Shelly’s inner conflict about whether to in effect ‘sell herself’ to the TV pundit for a temptingly high price. 

Pearl played by Karen Blunden gave a wonderful contrasting performance which generously highlighted Shelly’s high-octane personality still further. With her slightly slower pace of delivery and subtle facial expressions she successfully portrayed an essentially highly moral woman who had taken a lover in order to have something of her own in a life of routine and self-sacrifice. She was as energised as Shelly in her dancing and singing but it was her scene with the ghost of her lover Barry which particular showcased her acting talent. She gently drew out the loss, longing and confusion of her character and left the audience both surprised and moved. 

Jan played by Alice Maylon gave an appropriately restrained performance, nicely portraying the limited life of a woman who had focused her life around her daughter. Her understated performance made her gloriously drunken scenes all the more delightful. Her intoxicated movement, artfully slurred, speech and total lack of inhibition suggested that a less child-focused Jan might be able to embrace life and loves of her own in the very near future.  

Kirsty Sheath depicted the vulnerability and initial self-delusion of young Linda charmingly. Her confidence, happiness and positivity visibly increased in the second half of the play after she fell for Patrick the jockey. Her delicate portrayal of this change suggested that her life might evolve to be different from the lives of her three colleagues. It was this possibility that firmly cemented the overall optimism of the play. 

The four women portrayed their characters' external and inner worlds with subtlety and conviction but working as an ensemble they were greater than the sum of their parts. Their reactions to each other created moments of pure joy, highlights being when they shed their overalls and danced into their race day wear and when they watched in slow motion as their horse lost his race. Every time they sang (and they all had rather lovely voices) or danced uninhibitedly, they infused the audience with their wonderful joie de vivre.  

This was ultimately a life affirming play portraying the happiness and struggles of everyday life and the importance of love and friendship in navigating both. Congratulations to John Colt and his cast and crew for an afternoon of love, laughter and warmth. 

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