On Centre Stage.
Ladies Day:
Review by Douglas Kennedy.
Amanda Whittington’s feel good comedy, about four working class women from the UK city of Hull, who have a day at the Ascot Races, is ripe to bring a smile to the lips.
Ladies Day belongs to a popular genre of modern plays where ordinary women get together and share their hopes and fears, and, more importantly, secrets.
Director Dawn China has secured the talents of four Gold Coast actors whose roles fit like a proverbial glove and brought a lot of joy to the opening night full-house.
There’s Jan (Corinne Meunier), whose a single mum with a soft spot for the fish factory foreman where they all work, sexy Shelley (Michelle MacWhirter), who has a soft spot for the male gender, the timid Linda (Priya Das), whose mum is spoiling her life and Pearl (Virginia Leaver) who has the darkest secret off all.
Note:Emma Oakey will play Linda at the matinees.
Ladies Day feature two token males playing six role, Martin Jennings and Bob Allen, but the bulk of the play belongs to the women.
The male characters include a pushy broadcaster, with his eye on Shelley, a sensitive underfed jockey and Pear’s dark secret,
The play opens with the women dreaming of going to Royal Ascot but with little chance of getting past the front gate.
They go anyway and thanks to a lucky windfall find themselves in the inner sanctum where they proceed to drink, gamble and share their innermost secrets.
Ladies Day is a mix of earthy working class humour, touching personal stories from a bunch of basically likeable women and a couple of uplifting twists.
The Ladies Day crew deserved be applauded for fine technical support and Dawn China holds everything together splendidly.
The play has been extremely popular since it premiered in the UK back in 2005 and is a particular favouite with community theatres.
The opening night boasted a full house, matinees are proving popular, and the box office is a buzz.
This is a good started to 2020 for Javeenbah.
Ladies Day by Amanda Whittington. Javeenbah Theatre Company. Directed by Dawn China. FeaturesVirginia Leaver, Corinne Meunier, Michelle MacWhirter, Priya Das (evenings) , Emma Oakey (matinees), Martin Jennings, Bob Allen. Season runs until January 25. Bookings (07) 55960300 or www.javeenbah.org.au
