Love On The Beach

‘Love On The Beach’ is one of several plays written by Raymond Hopkins that Ombersley Dramatic Society has performed and on previous occasions the author attended a performance. Sadly, it was not possible on this occasion as Raymond had passed away during the last couple of years. His royalties were always donated to charity.

The action revolves around Tom Millard’s world which has been shattered by the unexpected death of his loving wife. Having now realised that life is short and precious, Tom makes a ‘bucket list’ and starts working his way through it. Tom’s lifelong ambition is to live by the sea. So, he decides to take early retirement and move away from family and friends to live, in a small cottage, on the coast. His two married daughters are unhappy about their father’s decision to move over a hundred miles away from them, and after three months, they are missing him dreadfully - mainly because he was always around to help out with gardening and babysitting! In an effort to get their dad back home to resume his fatherly duties, they arrange for Brenda, a wealthy neighbour and who was a close friend of his wife, to take a holiday near Tom. The idea being that she will become romantically involved with him and persuade Tom to move back to her house, which is just up the road from his daughters. The only problem with this arrangement is that Tom detests Brenda!

Tom played by Hugh Raymer, provided all the right expressions depicting his situation and moved the action on well with a great sense of humour. He is well supported by his long-standing friend Keith played well by David Vas. He’s unhappily married  and when Tom engages an escort lady called Kim (on his bucket list), Keith strikes up his own relationship with her. Kim is played by Marcia Bennett, a single parent who enjoys her job with a convincing flair for the whip! Meanwhile Tom’s two daughters Jade and Lucy (Becky Weir and Lizzy Waterhouse) who are scheming to get Tom to return home, hopefully under the influence of the now single Brenda (Jacci Phillips)  It was easy listening to follow their line of thinking.

However, Tom rather fancies the local vicar Sara Jones (Kathy Othen) who calls by to wish Tom happiness in his new home, and on a subsequent visit and a couple of glasses of wine, agrees to join Tom for a night sleeping on the beach (another item from his bucket list) and their relationship is sealed. Kathy portrayed the ‘lady of the cloth’ well, together with the transition to her relationship with Tom. But the performance that captured the best laughs, has to go to Pauline Boyce who played the new cleaning lady Alice Beale. Alice has about every ailment you can think of that prevents her from doing any work, for example, from using cleaning materials, and has a very funny habit of mispronouncing  words – great timing.

There were a number of continuity wobbles which I am sure were ironed out and the fixed set of Tom’s lounge was well depicted, with doors either side that enabled numerous comings and goings by the players. ODS are always entertaining  - congratulations for this one, directed by Chris Marsh and Alex Fitzgerald.

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