Act Your Age, Abbeydale Picture House

 

Published Date: 20 June 2008

By Marion Haywood

 

ACTABILITY is a new company with a cast drawn from the various musical and drama societies in an around Sheffield.

This production, which is a South Yorkshire premiere, will help raise funds for the Abbeydale Picture House restoration fund.

 

The show calls for more "mature" actors to play residents from an old people's home who find themselves boarded out at a failing celebrity clinic (don't ask).

 

There's very good ensemble playing throughout from the senior citizens, who display deft comic timing.

 

Norma Neath, Hazel Crowther and Maureen Kenney are really rather wonderful as is Gareth Davis as Iris. Sue Curr is a forceful Mrs Hewitt. Excellent performances too from Judi Johnson-Hart (Valerie) as the harassed owner of the clinic and Mary Newey (Pat) who wants to be on TV. Or a footballer's wife. Both can sing a bit too.

 

Good support from Alison and Andrew Stansall as star-crossed sweethearts and from Marilyn Barker's sex-starved Angela.

 

This is a reassuringly old-fashioned musical farce that does what it says on the label.

 

The pacy, assured direction from Kath Kenyon makes for some hilarious set pieces and Paul Hill's naked routine with an ironing board brought the house down.

 

There is, of course, a nice happy ending. The audience loved it.