Stepping Out

Stepping Out is a play about the lives of a group of women (and one man) attending a weekly tap-dance class in a church hall.  Ex-professional dancer Mavis (Meg Teesdale) runs the dance class, who we see trying to bring out the best in her students, supported by her grumpy friend and class accompanist, Mrs Fraser (Amber Cloughley).  As we meet the students, we learn about their journey from inexperienced tap beginners to performing at a professional charity concert.

The students are all very different and all have their own personal stories that start to emerge as the play progresses.  Cheerful class comic, Sylvia (Isobella Coady); Andy (Sharon Healy) a plain do-gooder with no confidence; snobby new-comer but well-meaning Vera (Janet Turner); timid Dorothy (Debra Harrold) who works in Social Security; Maxine (Macy Gilbey) attractive, sharp and very shrewd; nail biting Lynne (Stephanie Waters); Rose (Anna Harper) who just attends for a good time and Geoffrey (Chris Gipson) the only man in the group and increasingly the subject of the women’s attention. 

Well done to everyone on your performances! You did a great job of bringing everyone’s character to life with equal helpings of comedy and pathos. Credit to the author, Richard Harris, for an updated version of the play, providing a steady stream of one-liners that had the audience laughing out loud! Adding their own unique comedy, John Bishop and Derek Jarvis supported the scene changes by portraying handymen as well as joining Julie Bonner and the entire cast for the show’s glittering and feel-good tap dance finale.

Congratulations to the production team for their vision and creativity and showcasing their cast on the confined stage. Well done ‘Three Towns Theatre Company’ for staging this production in a village hall, with audiences sat around tables, enjoying cake and refreshments. I liked that the music played during the show, was songs chosen by the cast, relating to each of their characters and credited in the glossy souvenir programme.  With so much work involved to stage this production, it was a shame the Company only played two performances.Thank you for inviting me and for a friendly welcome.  I had a very enjoyable afternoon.  

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