Tipp the Taxi Driver

Tipp the Taxi Driver, by local writer Tom Casling, tells of the relationships between a taxi driver, his wife of 25 years and the consequences of his friendship with a young actress who becomes his regular fare.

The production engaged the audience throughout providing laugh out loud moments, moments of empathy and also some thought provoking scenes.  The action takes place in Tipp’s living room, his taxi, a café and local TV studios and the many scene changes were achieved by using only minimalist set and lighting, this worked really well with perhaps the exception of the style of chairs used for the taxi. The excellent acting performances given throughout the production did not need a complex set to enable the story telling.

In the title role of “Tipp” Jeff Page hardly left the stage and played a believable and engaging character. He showed great skill in his ability to change his character portrayal for the end scenes and had the audience invested in his story from the opening scene.  Jean Ord, as Tipp’s wife Margaret, gave an excellent portrayal of the loyal and understanding partner who knew her husband better than he knew himself. This is a role which could have been outshone by the other characters but Jean ensured that “Margaret” held her own throughout the plot. As the young actress Rachel, Lucy McCabe gave a strong, believable performance. Her scenes throughout were very good and her scenes portraying “Rachel’s” mental health issues were played very sensitively. There was good chemistry throughout with the three lead actors and an investment in their characters which enhanced the overall performance. The supporting cast of Bill Watson, Christine Parkin, Alex Morris and Malcolm Quinn, played the many cameo roles well, Bill in particular, gave us a very convincing studio director.

Congratulations to Val and Ken for pulling together a quite complex piece of theatre and to the group for continuing to present new and lesser known work.  This was a very enjoyable evening’s entertainment.

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