The Second Coming

A pleasant Friday night spent in St Annes to see ‘The Second Coming’ Presented by Our Lady Star of the Sea Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society. The world premier! From the moment we arrived, Pauline Hardy, the treasurer, made us feel welcome. She got us a drink, introduced us to members of the committee, and we met Leo Appleton, the director and co-author, right at the very start. She also found us a seat at the back with plenty of leg room and a view of the stage. There was also a funny little moment when I mentioned I was from Noda and was quickly hushed because she didn't want the cast knowing I was there on opening night and getting nervous. Leo also came to speak with us again in the interval, which was a lovely touch. Straight away, there was a real warmth about the evening and a genuine sense of community. 

The performance took place in Our Lady Star of the Sea’s parish hall rather than a traditional theatre space, but the society had done a brilliant job creating a theatre environment within the space they had. Seating had been arranged in rows facing the stage and it worked well. One thing I liked was walking in and seeing the curtains already open. I always enjoy that because it welcomes the audience into the world of the play before it has even begun. It starts the imagination straight away and gives you a chance to take in the stage and begin asking questions before the action starts.

The set itself was simple and mostly made up of tables, chairs and a few benches throughout. I'm a fan of simple staging and allowing audiences to use their imagination, and in many places that worked. The focus stayed firmly on the story and the characters. However, I did feel some locations could have benefitted from a little more support from the set itself. During the café scenes, a few additional tables, signs or props could have helped establish the location more clearly. Similarly with the laundrette scenes, a few extra touches may have helped ground us more in the setting rather than relying entirely on audience imagination.

There was one set change midway through involving a backdrop with trees which was brought on. Unfortunately, the material was slightly transparent, meaning you could see crew members preparing the next scene behind it. It took me out of the moment slightly, but these things happen, particularly within community theatre spaces.

The lighting throughout the evening was simple but very effective. Pauline explained to us before the show that the society had actually raised funds themselves over the years in order to buy their own lighting equipment, which made it even more special seeing how effectively it was used. Lighting design was by Annie Follet, with lighting and sound operated on the night by Phil Thomas. Despite working with a relatively modest rig, they made thoughtful choices. I particularly enjoyed the way colour reflected mood and dialogue. At one point a line about somebody being "green" was matched with green lighting which gave a fun little visual addition to the moment. Softer, warmer lighting was used in more emotional scenes and gave the cast a lovely glow rather than using cold white lighting.

Sound was kept quite simple too. The music used between scenes helped keep energy up and covered some longer set changes. Personally, I have never been a huge fan of silent blackout scene changes. I always enjoy seeing societies push themselves with transitions that become part of the performance itself rather than stopping the action completely. However, the music chosen worked well and actually had audience members swaying, singing quietly and enjoying the moments between scenes. Microphones had also been positioned at the front of the stage to help with amplification. However, every member of the cast had good projection and I never struggled to hear a line all evening.

Props were fairly minimal and mostly consisted of handheld items such as bingo dabbers, drinks and smaller accessories. The hen party scene had the biggest use of props with sashes, banners, drinks and shots adding some nice energy and colour to the stage. Again, I felt perhaps some props could have been incorporated further into the various locations to make them feel more lived in, but overall they supported the story effectively.

Costumes were arranged by the cast and by Jeanette Appleton, who also played Mary. Costumes were largely everyday clothing, which suited the piece perfectly as these were ordinary people living ordinary lives. What I particularly enjoyed was the use of colour. Lynn's bright dresses brought real life to the stage and added bursts of energy throughout. Overall, costumes suited every character well and felt believable.

This really was an ensemble piece. There was no obvious lead and all twelve cast members worked together wonderfully, creating believable relationships and a lovely community atmosphere on stage.

Carolyn Clapham as Lynn immediately drew my attention whenever she stepped onto the stage. Her performance was bold and confident and she delivered her comedic moments brilliantly. Her characterisation felt strong throughout and she had a real stage presence that made you watch her. 

Stephanie Heney as Katherine had good characterisation throughout and played the role well. She fitted naturally into the wider group and helped support the ensemble feel of the production. 

Jeanette Appleton played Mary with a wonderfully regal RP accent inspired by Queen Elizabeth II, which was great fun. The character itself was charming and the accent worked perfectly. 

Alongside her was Muriel, played by Theresa Donnelly, who brought this lovely slightly airheaded quality to the role. Muriel seemed completely fascinated by Mary's stories and lived somewhat through her experiences. 

Pat and Lawrence, played by Mia Barlow and Steve Hook, had a storyline involving reconnecting later in life after previous marriages. Individually, both performances worked well. Mia captured Pat's excitement and eagerness, while Steve portrayed Lawrence's uncertainty and quiet concern nicely. However, for me personally, I didn't fully connect with the relationship between Pat and Lawrence. Mia and Steve both played their individual roles well, but I found the visual presentation of the characters made it a little harder for me to buy into them as a couple. Their styling choices gave the characters very different energies, which meant I wanted a little more connection between them to fully invest in their journey together. 

Jim and Byron, played by John Gill and Paul Coffey, had a lovely chemistry together. Byron brought lots of energy, moving around and showing excitement about their dreams and plans, while Jim was more reserved. Just like a Morecambe and Wise partnership. Their contrasting styles complemented each other nicely. 

Amy and Bob, played by Christine Rouse and Andy Rouse, were another lovely example of the society's community feel as they are also married in real life. Bob was a likeable character and Andy played him with warmth and humour. His facial expressions and comic timing were particularly enjoyable. Amy was intentionally written as quite dry, flat, and difficult, and Christine played this brilliantly because every time Amy entered I found myself thinking "Oh here we go again." Seeing Christine smiling, laughing, and dancing in the finale just proved how strong her characterisation had been because I was absolutely supposed to feel that way. 

Alison Thornton's Sue reminded me very much of Penelope Wilton, particularly in something like Calendar Girls. She was warm, sweet and had a lovely presence on stage. 

Jeanie, played by Suzi McQuiggan, was such a fun character. One of my favourite moments involved the hen party where I kept catching her sneaking back to the drinks table for another shot even while other dialogue was happening. She remained in character the entire time and I found myself watching her despite other scenes taking place around her.

Keith Rogers as Ted had a lovely warmth to his performance. Ted and Lawrence's friendship felt believable and Keith had a wonderfully clear, crisp voice which suited the character perfectly. Ted was the voice of reason and wisdom throughout.

Finally there was Bea, played by Rose Tonge. Throughout the play we had enjoyed lots of comedy, double entendres and light-hearted moments, but then Rose delivered a genuinely moving monologue about dealing with her ill husband. Her eye contact, emotional connection and presence completely drew the audience in. It was a really beautiful moment. What worked particularly well was the way that seriousness was immediately broken by Bob following the spinning washing machine with his head, bringing us straight back into the comedy and balancing the emotions beautifully.

One thing I particularly admired was the professionalism of the cast. During Act One there was a distraction from an audience member near the front, which I could hear even from the back row. However, the cast remained completely professional and never broke character. 

Direction came from Leo Appleton and overall the first half felt stronger than the second. The pace in the first half moved nicely and kept us engaged. I enjoyed the moments of mime where actors remained in character and continued silent conversations while other dialogue was taking place. Sometimes this can feel a little forced, but here it felt natural and believable. It kept the stage feeling alive and had my eyes constantly moving around, watching what everyone was doing.

However, the second half lost some of that momentum. The scene changes became jarring: a café scene, a blackout, a bench scene and the narrative felt like it lacked a strong anchor. I do think it would have benefited from a bit more context, especially for anyone who hadn’t seen the first play, The Trinity. While the program said it wasn’t necessary, I really felt it would have helped give this story more depth and purpose. The final wedding scene, lovely as it was, just seemed to fizzle out slightly and ended quite abruptly. It almost felt like the conclusion arrived very suddenly, so a bit more weight or a smoother ending would have really helped. 

Leo Appleton and Rob Fearn's writing was packed with double entendres, slapstick moments and nostalgic humour. Knowing that they have written pantomimes for many years definitely showed because there was a clear understanding of comedy and audience engagement. The jokes landed well and there was plenty for an adult audience to enjoy. I particularly enjoyed the ‘Milky Bar kid’ line and the references to times past. There was a comical thread throughout the play of a ‘Special Bingo Dabber’. The continuous presence of this gag underscores the playwrights’ skill in maintaining a comedic thread across the entire production.

The programme itself, designed by John Gill and Leo Appleton, was bright and informative. It included rehearsal photos, information about the society and details about the writers, which was lovely to read through. I would simply have liked a little more information about The Trinity to help provide some context before the show began.

A huge well done also goes to the backstage team: Jools Thornton, Darren Thornton, Joanna Little and Rob Fearn. These are often the people the audience never gets to see, but without them productions simply don't happen. Their hard work keeps everything moving behind the scenes. 

The same appreciation goes to the front of house team: Sharon Devlin, Sally Donegan, Logan and Pauline Hardy. Whilst audiences see them at the start and end of the evening, their work often goes unnoticed. They are the first people you meet and the people who keep everything running smoothly, helping pull the whole evening together.

Overall, this was a lovely Friday evening. This was my first time visiting the society and I was made to feel welcome from the second I arrived. The audience left smiling and chatting, and there was a genuine community atmosphere throughout the evening. Productions like this remind us exactly why amateur theatre is so important. It brings people together, gives communities a place to belong and creates something special. Thank you for welcoming us and I look forward to seeing what comes next. Maybe even ‘Revelations’ - the third part of the Trilogy - which will hopefully be premiered in 2027. 

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