REVIEW: Cheeky comments and triumph over adversity in Ewhurst Players' latest production

From left: Peter Bradley as Wilf, Patsy Mortimer as Jean, George Yates as Reggie and Wendy Davies as Cissie

Elderly opera singers pottering out their days in a retirement home might not seem to offer the most promising plot for a play, but that was rapidly proved wrong by director Meg Bray and her cast of experienced actors who skilfully brought the four characters to life.

Uptight Reggie (George Yates), imperious Jean (Patsy Mortimer), batty Cissie (Wendy Davies) and sex-obsessed Wilf (Peter Bradley) delivered an enjoyable mix of cheeky comments, intriguing revelations and, ultimately, triumph over adversity.

In their heyday the four characters had been acclaimed for their performance of the famous Quartet from Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto.

From left: Wendy Davies as Cissie, George Yates as Reggie, Patsy Mortimer as Jean and Peter Bradley as Wilf

Faced with the inevitable decline of their voices, how were they going to avoid embarrassing themselves and their audience as they attempted to reprise their past success at Verdi’s birthday gala?

They came up with an ingenious solution, resulting in a glorious rendition of The Quartet to rapturous applause from both their fictional and Ewhurst audiences.

Performing in a convincingly opulent set, Meg and her cast, ably supported by effective sound and lighting effects supplied by Bill Pilcher and Carl Osborne respectively, are to be congratulated on a first class production.

Watch out for details of the Players’ next production in November this year.

The Ewhurst Players are keen to welcome new members, especially those in the 30 to 50 age bracket.

Contact the secretary at [email protected] for information about forthcoming productions, auditions and social events throughout the summer.

All are welcome.

Visit www.ewhurstplayers.com.

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