Stepping Out

This play centres around a group of very different people who attend a weekly tap dancing class in the local village hall run by Mavis who didn’t quite make it as a professional.

The set and props looked great and worked well with good lighting and sound. The costumes suited each character well.

The strength of this play is if you get the characters right. And this society certainly did that. Each one was well rounded, eminently watchable and very amusing and well directed.

Dawn Sloman did a fantastic job with the direction and then had to step in to play Mavis with a couple of weeks until opening. Fabulous job on both Dawn.

Each one of the cast had worked hard on the characterisation of their particular part and making these appear natural. Claire Morris as Rose, Susan Stagg as Dorothy and Shelley Ridler as Lynne put in great performances each showing their fun side.

Eleanor Reynolds as Maxine showed a great depth to her acting as she finally admits that despite the outward bravado she is terrified of life and has such low self esteem.

Jane Pearson played Vera with great comic timing and bags of stage presence. Vera’s OCD and questioning technique whilst so annoying was brilliantly played by Jane.

Mrs Fraser was expertly played by Elaine Thomson. Scary, opinionated and playing drunk quite superbly Elaine put in a sterling performance.

Tracey Rontree was fantastic as Andy playing the nervous downbeaten wife who escapes to the class every week. Her scenes with Geoffrey were filled with emotional tension and uncomfortable silences. Brilliantly played Tracey.

Alison Foy-Thackwell was wonderful as Sylvia and played the crude, loud, funny character with so much warmth and naturalness. Alison’s timing was again like the rest of this cast absolutely impeccable.

The only male character in the show is Geoffrey, a nervous anxiety ridden man who was expertly played by Gary Jones-McCaw. Never out of character, nervous mannerisms and a voice to match he played this brilliantly. Knowing how well Gary and the rest of this cast can dance it was fascinating watching them act as though they couldn’t. The closing sequence routine was inspired and beautifully put together and ended the whole show on a real high. Well done to everyone involved in this super show.

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