The Killing of Sister George

A much-loved character on Applehurst, the BBC soap opera, Sister George is a cheerful nurse who goes around the countryside singing hymns and doing good on her moped. In reality June Buckeridge, the actress who plays her, is a loose cannon who has very little in common with her radio persona.

Due to low ratings, cutbacks and June’s own bad behaviour, the BBC decides “Sister George” has to go…for good!

The Killing of Sister George is an iconic dark comedy with surprising moments of tenderness making compelling watching. The play was famously adapted into a film in 1968 with Beryl Reid in the title role.

This type of production was some thing new to the Bradford players and I wholeheartedly commend them on their bravery of daring to put on something different. Many other societies who are mainly known for their musicals and pantomimes would stay well clear and head down the more safer routes when producing a play. Keep it up.

The title role June Buckeridge, the actress who plays George, is a bad-tempered woman who smokes cigars and is never far away from a bottle of vodka, or was it gin?  She lives with Alice who is not particularly bright and spends a great deal of time tending to her dolls. She is frequently subjected to June’s verbal and sometimes physical outbursts.  It is pretty obvious from the start that this is a lesbian relationship, although in the 1960’s when it was written, it was probably not acceptable to actually mention the word.

When June learns that Sister George is to be killed off her world is turned upside down.

Helen Ganney took the title role and she and Rachael Collins as Alice were on stage most of the time.  Both gave good excellent performances of their respective characters. The performance of their characters and the relationship between them was at times alarming and showed a realistic abusive relationship and more importantly the person trapped within it. To perform this convincingly must have been exhausting but both did. Well Done!

Tracy Mawson was great as Mercy Croft from the BBC who calls round to confirm June’s worst fears, that her character is to be axed.  Her enthusiasm when she tells June she is being offered the title role in a new children’s programme is not reciprocated.  It becomes apparent during the play that Mercy has taken a liking to Alice, but she bides her time until the relationship between June and Alice reaches breaking point, before making a move. Something I feel could have been made clearer to the audience as you don’t realise this until it becomes prominent in the play and when you see it is definitely a “well I never….”

The part of Madame Xenia, the rather exotic downstairs neighbour, and a good friend to June, was well played by Claire Pearson.  Popping in and out with her tarot cards, helping June to look into her future, this was a role that brought a nice light-hearted touch to the performance.

The set was very well designed transporting the audience back to the 1960’s with some excellent stage props including a dining table and chairs from where cups of tea and various cakes and scones were served to visitors. The design allowed the production to be watched from various angles and entrances from different points of the studio.

The whole performance was well lit and thought out, especially through the second act. Incidental music was good and there were some excellent sound effects on the radio transmission of June’s last show, including the dramatic crash between lorry and moped signalling Sister George’s demise.

A cleverly directed piece by Andrew Howorth which although written and originally performed in the 1960’s reflects what we see today in the media and behind closed doors in every day life.

Thank you for inviting me.  I had a very enjoyable evening watching the society step out of their comfort zone and me watching something out of mine.

 

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