Phil Melia reviews Ladies' Day

Ladies' Day
by Amanda Whittington
performed by Waterbeach Theatre Company
directed by Julie Petrucci and Chris Shinn

Greeted by a ticket tout at the door to the auditorium and kindly welcomed to my seat by Julie Petrucci, co-director along with Chris Shinn, I knew I would be in for a treat. I'm not familiar with Amanda Whittington's comedy, but with the premise of four ladies from a fish factory spending a day at the races when Royal Ascot moved to York in 2005 and placing an accumulator bet picking each horse based on hits by Tony Christie this had all the hallmarks of a great comedy.

The set, though simple, effectively transported the audience to various locations, from a fish factory to York's Ascot racecourse. Each scene transitioned seamlessly, ensuring the audience remained fully engaged. The costumes were also well-chosen, perfectly capturing the characters' personalities and adding to the overall charm of the production.

Pearl, portrayed by Christine Easterfield, was a standout. Pearl had led an outwardly simple life, married to the same bloke for years, nearing retirement and desperate for a bit of fun, spending her rainy day money for a day at the races, later to reveal that she's led a secret life having an affair with Barry. The gradual transition between these two sides of her personality was truly believable and the scene where she realised Barry had passed with a nod to 'Ghost' and the backing track 'Unchained Melody' was particularly poignant - a truly believable character.

Equally believable was Jan, played by May Withers. From the very first scene Jan just smiled, but a smile that was covering up pain. The scene where she explained this pain, husband leaving and obsessed with daughter and funding her education, was really moving. I really felt Jan's frustrations which was perhaps relieved a little when at the races she was blind drunk. The drunk scene was a real highlight and the physical comedy so well executed. Rightly so, this received some of the loudest laughs of the night from the audience. Not over acting this type of scene can be hard and May was so good - a real talent.

Linda, played by Vicki Hingley, was equally smiley, but more because the character was the 'simpleton', the one who didn't quite follow what was going on and was obsessed with Tony Christie. The audience fell in love with Vicki. When she met the jockey at the beginning of act 2 you couldn't help but feel you wanted to encourage her to get with him, stand up to her mum who was dominating her home live and move on.

Shelley, played by Kattreya Scheurer-Smith, was a comic tour de force. Shelley is the lady who would says it how she sees it and what's in her head invariably comes out her mouth, naming dropping at any given moment and desperate to get on TV and be famous. The shift to a more serious tone, where Shelley reveals her financial struggles and willingness to do anything to make ends meet, was handled with great sensitivity. I completely bought into Kattreya's performance.

The camaraderie among the four leading ladies was palpable, clearly a result of strong off-stage friendships. The supporting male cast members (Chas Barclay, Tim Boden, Michael Husband, John Meredith and David Morris) all provided additional layers of humour and context. I loved it when they were in the background discussing racing tips, all to turn their papers over to reveal "Two Hours Later". A simple touch but a laugh every time!

"Ladies' Day" is a brilliantly written comedy by Amanda Whittington, and this production did it full justice. Julie Petrucci and Chris Shinn have successfully brought out the best in their cast, ensuring every joke landed perfectly. It was an evening of laughter, emotion and pure entertainment. Bravo to all involved!

Phil Melia
Regional Representative NODA East
District 4DS