Ladies`Day

Who could dream up such a plot with such hilarious results, well Amanda Whittington certainly has.

Set in a fish processing plant in Hull, it follows four female fish packers at their workstation, whose day is enriched by their banter and singing.  Wanting to celebrate the imminent retirement of co worker Pearl, they decide to take the day off and go to Royal Ascot Ladies Day which was to be held at York Racecourse.

During the course of the day, we discover their secrets.  Pearl, who was played superbly and with great class by Regina Repton, revealed a long-standing affair that had ended mysteriously.   Angela Swift as Jan brilliantly portrayed a single mum struggling to make ends meet, her scene at the races when she had too much to drink was a delight.  Shelley played by Jessica Baird-Swinburn was glorious in her role as the flaunting man-eater.  Ciara Beighton, wonderfully sympathetic as Linda, the lonely girl who loves Tony Christie, meets Patrick an Irish jockey, and ultimately finds her soulmate.

Each of the Ladies gave outstanding performances, capturing their roles perfectly with an excellent display of teamwork that will take some beating.  The play gives value to ordinary lives, thoughts, feelings, experiences, and life’s concerns, and these four performers exploited it to the full, resulting in an uproarious, fabulous evening’s entertainment.

With a secret crush on Jan, James Ash played Joe, their supervisor in admirable fashion.   Dave O`Neal`s comical rendition of the droll TV Commentator was wonderful and very convincing, and a good foil for Shelley.  There was a supremely funny cameo from Ryan Barber as Patrick the Jockey, particularly his racing romp on a bench.  The excellent line up was completed by Jack Woolley, convincing as a Drunken Gambler, and Ed Watkins sympathetically playing Barry, the lover that Pearl had lost.

This was one of the funniest pieces I have seen for a long time and Liz Woolley, who has directed many musical shows, should be very satisfied with her first direction of a play, she has produced a super piece of drama.

With a minimal set, and strategically placed props, the stage and scenic team in the guise of John Woolley and Brian Hartshorn made the most of the space, with lighting by Lee Hartshorn complimenting the setting. Costume design by Patricia Church was spot on as usual.

It`s great to see Shakespeare House creating a performance space for the amateur theatre community, a smallish area, but perfect for more intimate performances. They are to be complimented in filling a gap sadly vacated by Derby Council`s overall lack of consideration for the theatre community over the past few years.

The Watson`s have taken on the challenge and succeeded in bringing this new venue to our attention.  Congratulations on a wonderful show, wonderfully done.

 

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