Old Boilers

This production was put on in a village/church hall, so it had a very intimate setting. There was not a lot of room on the stage, but the space they had, they used very well.

There was one set throughout the play which was very simply done, but decorated in a way that I would imagine portrayed a typical B&B in Blackpool. There were some lovely touches like ducks on the walls and a signed photo of Pam Eyres ( it’s relevant to the story ). I liked the little touches of sea creatures on the bar and fairy lights around the bar. I liked how it included a notice board which had a health and safety information sheet and a fire action poster.

The costumes were appropriate for the play and I especially liked Miss Bobby’s outfit with great jewelry and fantastic shoes. She really looked the part of a B&B landlady. My favorite thing was Katie Ashworth, who played Anya, wore some fabulous hats. I would have worn some of these myself! She also looked the part in her pinny and crocs.

The cast had 12 rehearsals and you could tell in that time they bonded well and enjoyed putting on this play. They were all enthusiastic and spoke well. The sound was done very well with the drop down microphones. You could hear the cast with no problems and they all spoke very clearly. However, the sound effects were a little loud.

The cast of 9 supported each other well and the occasional mistake was quickly turned around. I think all the cast did their best to portray each character as defined in the script but a special mention to Susan Hope, who played Miss Bobby and Katie Ashworth, who played Anya. They played their parts very well and they were very believable as a landlady and a foreigner who spoke broken english. Well done ladies!

The play was directed well, however I feel that It should have ended at the end of act 2 with the punchline “he’s my son-in-law”. I didn't really understand the need for the Karaoke scene and felt it was unnecessary.

Thank you for inviting my guest and I to the show and look forward to seeing more from you in the future.

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