Di and Viv and Rose by Amelia Bullmore Aged 18, three women from different walks of life come together as lodgers during their years at university. The play, written beautifully by Amelia Bullmore, charts the ups and downs of these women through the years as they navigate their different paths. It is a play ultimately… Read more…
Ladies in Retirement by Edward Percy and Reginald Denham Ladies in Retirement by Edward Percy and Reginald Denham is a gothic thriller written in 1939 and set in 1885. I must start by talking about the design elements of the production as these were outstanding. First, the lighting, which was both subtle and dramatic at… Read more…
Breezeblock Park by Willy Russell Willy Russell’s play Breezeblock Park, set in a northern council estate, is about a working-class family Christmas in the 1970s. Christmas is a time when family tensions can sizzle and they certainly do in this piece. We see sibling rivalries over sofas and central heating, drunken sexism between brothers-in-law and… Read more…
Ladies Down Under by Amanda Whittington After a successful production last year of ‘Ladies Day’, the Little Theatre was honoured with the sequel, ‘Ladies Down Under’ by Amanda Whittington. Having won big on the horses, the foursome from Hull decide to celebrate with a trip of a lifetime to the land of Oz. As we… Read more…
Groping For Words by Sue Townsend Groping For Words by Sue Townsend, performed at The Little Theatre from the 20th to the 27th May, is a comic play centered around an adult literacy class. As always, the set for this production was beautifully constructed as we were transported to a nursery classroom for the duration… Read more…
Ladies in Lavender by Shaun McKenna The second play of the Retford Little Theatre’s long awaited 80th season is Ladies in Lavender by Shaun McKenna. This heart warming and gentle play concerns itself with two Cornish sister spinsters, Janet and Ursula, who are living out their lives in pre-Second World War Cornwall, knitting, listening to… Read more…
Wife After Death by Eric Chappell Wife After Death is a comedy by Eric Chappell and was performed from the 25th March to the 1st April at Retford Little Theatre. I was lucky enough to catch their last performance. This is a play centred around the elaborate funeral of a household name, and in true… Read more…
Ladies Day by Amanda Whittington Amanda Whittington’s humorous play tells of four working class Yorkshire women who find themselves with tickets to Ladies Day at The Royal Ascot, which was relocated to York in 2005. The story of how these fish-line workers from Hull hob-nob with the rich, have a little too much to drink… Read more…
Bothered and Bewildered is described by its writer as a ‘comedy drama’; in fact, it is a clear exposé of the devastation of dementia – the bewilderment of the sufferer and the effect on the family – and that makes for a tragic story with some comic relief. Read more…
The comedy Stepping Out by Richard Harris is about a group of working-class amateurs with inhibitions and two left feet. I have nothing but praise for every part of the production and I know from the reaction of the audience, that everyone felt the same. Read more…