Ladies Day

This being the first play that I have seen both from Nunthorpe Players and in my NODA capacity and what a bar to set. The show was engaging throughout, funny, heartfelt and the content and way the script was delivered was relatable till the end. There was not a point where I didn't believe what I was seeing, the characterisation was spot on and interactions were perfectly balanced. Ladies Day follows the story of 4 women work colleagues who decided they deserve a day at the horse races, they each have their own reasons which become uncovered as the play progresses.

 

A huge congratulations needs to be given to Paul Maull on his directorial debut, directing is not easy and especially where plot points as delicate as the ones in Ladies Day appear. Paul helped to create genuine, living and breathing characters who I would expect to see roaming the local highstreet. He managed this talented cast incredibly well, creating visually clever and well thought out staging which utilised the sides and depth of the stage very well. As far as directing goes, I sincerely hope we see more from Paul soon!

 

The production team were on it with this show; from lighting which heightened the on stage setting to set, props and the brilliant audience set-up of chairs and tables to make us all feel like we were at the races were all very well produced additions to help bring the world to life. It's the little touches that really make a show feel real.

The costume was superb! From the unglamorous fish factory scrubs to quick changing into their beautiful race day dresses everything was spot on for each character.

 

The supporting cast were fabulous, all with their own characters who added a different piece to this ever changing jigsaw of a show. Filling in a plot point, creating a conflict or adding a bit of drunken realism to the story.

Alex Duncan playing Jo the factory boss played the role with strength and the right gentle touch when needed to. Her gentle side towards Jan could be seen at multiple points but cleverly only revealed in the end scene. Benn Whitehead who played the notable TV broadcaster Jim, both playing on the charming side of the character as well as the more seedy side which left the audience creeped out. Arran Williams playing the drunk, annoying but very genuine Kevin. Arran played the role really well to find the sweet spot between the character being an annoying drunk man and someone genuinely desperate for support. Andrew Cain played Barry, his performance and scene with Sara near the end of the performance was truly heartwarming. The connection between the two characters was brilliantly worked and his care and gentle nature helped the audience to understand why she missed him so much. Stefan Byrne playing both Fred the scamming ticket seller & Patrick the Irish jocky. Playing two roles in a play is never easy, especially when the roles are so different in their mood, appearance and personality. I genuinely didn't realise it was Stefan playing both roles until i looked in the program after the show. Every person's characterisation was great and again displayed brilliant realism in their portrayal of the characters.

 

Onto our leading ladies and what a stunning group of strong, talented, dedicated and engaging performers! Each had their own unique quirky personality and style, an odd group of friends but one that worked SO well together!

Linda played by Kayleigh Thompson was a fun, colourful and friendly character with a bubbly personality. Even when her character was down or confused Kayleigh still found a way of keeping that energy flowing through her voice and vocal expression, something which is sometimes a difficult task for the ‘bubbly one’. Her moments of genuine sadness and emotion were a credit to Kayleigh's performance ability, having a consistently happy and smiley character have a genuine emotional moment without it seeming out of place is a very challenging thing to do but one she did well!

Megan Hanrahan performed as the hard exterior, wanna be superstar Shelley. Megan performed Shelley in an incredibly genuine and moving way, giving subtle reactions early on to other peoples lines to suggest that something was going on. Megan's ability to pull the confidence of her character around from extreme to extreme and it feel so natural was incredibly impressive. Her softer and more caring side undercut the snappy and protective outer shell she portrays.

Claire Byron-Stonehouse played Jan, the caring, firm and maternal figure of the group. With her trusty cooler box and strong morals Claire played the character superbly. She gave a shoulder to cry on, advice to give and was a backbone in the team which makes when they get to the races all the funnier. Her performance of Jan in a drunk state was a genuinely hilarious and incredibly realistic representation, giving the once more refined character the confidence to speak her mind. Claire performed beautifully and created some incredibly emotional moments, even when her character was struggling to stand, I found myself completely an awe of her performance.

Last but certainly not least is the incredible Sara Ramrekha playing Pearl in this production. How to put into words her performance in this production; heartfelt, caring, beautifully timed, humorous, firm but fair and most of all genuine. Performances ,this one in particular, need genuine characters and real emotion which Sara gave to us all. I've praised the whole cast for creating realistic characters which has been the case but watching Sara on the stage wasn't Sara at all, I was watching Pearl. A woman dealing with so much in her life that she barely had time to think. That kind of character is so difficult to play and takes someone with huge amounts of talent to lay out those thoughts on stage. Audiences want to see thoughts and emotions and that is why Sara smashed it, she gave the audience a performance to watch and experience.

 

Across the board this production was incredible and I cannot praise it highly enough. The realism of characters, their emotions and the overall world gave the performance a special shine. Truly a remarkable performance.

 

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