Ladies Down Under

“Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans”.

This is a sequel to the popular performed play “Ladies Day” written by Amanda Whittington where fish factory workers and best friends Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda find themselves winning  a small fortune at the races. Reprising their roles for the sequel, the original cast eagerly came back together under the direction of Steve Coussens for their new adventure down under.

The design of the show was thought out with some nice touches. A flickering fire in the wilderness was worth the effort alongside the help of the screen projections throughout the production which help create the feeling of an Australian outback for example. The lighting and sound helped create the atmosphere, especially in the starry night scenes. I also enjoyed the voice over tannoy announcements in the airport which was well timed.

The scene changes were executed nicely, some changes were a bit long in parts, but generally, the pace of the show was good.

Waiting for their plane to embark on the mammoth journey, stopping off at Dubai and Singapore on the way, the four friends begin to find themselves embarking on a few personal realisations of their own. The journey and experience of each of the friends develop into some nice moments of realisation. The actors did well in portraying some of the emotional connections between themselves and these interactions came across well in most parts with some nice chemistry with the more poignant moments. Some of the biggest personal journeys being portrayed with the right amount of fun and conflict. Each actor held good consistent accents with good diction. There was good teamwork, chemistry and efforts to address the attention to detail and continuity.

The character of Pearl was played by Sarah Wilkins, who portrayed a person who wanted to make the most of the trip and despite some of the obstacles along the way attempted to embrace the experience with all her might. Pearl loved being with her friends and a little part of her wanted to make memories by doing things she wouldn’t normally do, like smoking a spliff. Sarah beautifully played these moments. Sarah held the audience’s attention when she revealed some startling news of her own which she had protected from her friends until the right time. The reactions of her friends were believable also. Sarah portrayed a protective and strong person but with a playful grit and determination. The character of Pearl certainly wanted to try to make the most out of life and with this once in a lifetime opportunity, this trip gave a nice reminder that life is precious and she was not going to waste the experience. No matter what.

Jan was played by Jo Foley who showed consistency with her role and worked within a relaxed dynamic within the group of friends. Jan was the reluctant flyer who suffered with Irritable Bowl Syndrome and her reluctance was played with good expressions and reactions. Jan discovers passion in Oz and this scene stood out with its comic timing. In this scene, Jan and her boyfriend Joe (John Nicholas) were testing the waters of each other’s feelings before rediscovering the fun and spontaneity in their relationship. 

John Nicolas played a convincing and caring boyfriend and a completely different character of a stereotypical English new age wash out. It was a nice contrast to his character of Joe, almost unrecognisable with the wig and the swagger.

Shelley played by Rachel Jefferson certainly came across very flirty and not very responsible with her winnings. Shelley was very quick to spend her money on extravagance and “things”. However, the ending was great when she left it all behind to stay behind with Danny (Alan Groucott). The turmoil that Shelley must have felt by turning away or sacrificing her materialistic side was evident, but also starting a new life by leaving her friends appeared a lot more difficult. The message was clear throughout the play in many ways. There is more to life than money and true love/friendship is not built up on “things”.

Alan Groucott who played Danny had a good presence on stage. Danny enjoyed simple pleasures who was a complete contrast to Shelley.
The spontaneity at the end was a great reminder of taking and seizing the chance. By having the fear BUT doing it anyway, Danny showed he would be there to help support Shelley if she wanted with his nice unassuming approach. 

The fourth friend called Linda was played by Lamorna Lilly Conlon. I felt that Lamorna acted Linda’s personal journey really well. Linda with her huge heart of gold showed many moments of genuine vulnerability which were subtly played by Lamorna.

Shelley was trying to fill voids by buying things, whilst her friend Linda was trying to get rid of her feeling of guilt by giving her money away.

Linda had lost her identity after the races. She had so much money she didn’t know what to do with it, she felt guilty and not “quite right” whilst people around her were still struggling. Linda honestly felt she did not deserve the money, therfore, with a little naivety, was more than happy to pay for things and give her money away to charity with the attempt to make things right.

The interaction between Linda and a Drag Queen called Koala Bare (Tim Ward) was a stand out moment. Linda tried to give away a large sum of money in the form of a cheque to a charity, there was some really nice and sincere acting between Lamorna and Tim who played Koala in this scene. 
Yes, you read right, there was a Drag Queen called Koala Bare in the play who seemed to appear out of absolutely nowhere and her appearance took the play down a very surprising route.

Tim Ward played a flurry of characters which were all quite different and he did a good job with each role. Koala being a firm favourite of mine with a lovely back story to the character. A couple of other entertaining stereotypes that Tim played was an Australian surfer and an Air Steward.

Not forgetting the fantastic Chas James who also played an Air Steward with Tim; their banter and one-line jokes were amusing and I would have loved to have had another 10 minutes of this.  This scene had a strong visual effect with the set of a plane fuselage on stage.

Chas James also showed a great delight in playing a drag queen called Bondi Bitch who was simply spectacular. The Mardi-Gras ending was certainly a surprise but the strong theme of acceptance and support for identity and freedom of speech was not.

Thank you very much to all at the Oldbury Rep, including front of house and stewards and to Steve (Director) for your hospitality. Congratulations everyone for a wonderful night of entertainment.

The next show I have been invited to which is showing at The Oldbury Rep is The Haunting by Hugh Janes, adapted from the ghost stories of Charles Dickens which is showing on 13 - 20 May 2023.

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