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 see the gang journey to Ulhuru, we witness their own personal journeys play out with humour and sensitivity.
Our four main characters; Pearl, Jan, Linda and Shelley (Angela Ingall, Jayne Cox, Nancy Hudson and Sarah Mullins) were played excellently by all. I thought the four gelled well on stage, bouncing off each other’s energy and delivering funny, gentle and often emotional performances.
Comic highlights included Shelley and Pearl’s marijuana experience, Linda finding her feet at the Sydney Mardi Gras and Jan finding her mojo in the bush! Mark Thornton and Alex Nicol played a variety of characters between them; from camp air stewards and drag queens to Crocodile Dundee-esque types and surfer dudes. I thought they portrayed each character well, but I particularly loved their steward routine. Simon Warner played Joe, Jan’s boyfriend, and I particularly liked how he achieved the subtle yet genuine love for Jan. It warmed our hearts!
The set was striking, and along with a fabulous soundtrack and accurate lighting, our senses were taken to Australia. The scenic artwork by Andy Massey was just perfect and added such a professional quality to the piece. The smaller pieces and scenery worked excellently to portray different scenes, for example, the airport. I particularly loved the fire which burned realistically through most of the play; it really created that camp atmosphere. Well done to the production team!
Overall, a slick play with great characters, expertly produced by Liz Williams. Another good night out at the Retford Little Theatre.
Reviewed by Victoria Evans