HOME SWEET HOME: By Penni Gillis

Wolverhampton

HOME SWEET HOME
by Penni Gillis

Foursight Theatre Company at Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton To 5 March 2005
Runs: 1 hour No interval
Review: Ranjit Khutan: 3 March 2005

Old folk a welcome focus in new play.This was the first offering in an evening of two new plays (second play: Christine Watkins' Welcome to my world).

Glad and Marge live in an old people's home where they continue doing the same routine they've been doing as long as they can remember, consisting of drinking tea, eating biscuits and reminiscing about the past.

It soon transpires this cosy life is about to turn upside down; the home is closing down and they will have to move on. This change brings with it stories that sisters Glad and Marge have not shared with each other. Mostly these revolve around one's fascination with the other's habit of wearing her ex-husband's knickers a different pair for each of her husbands on a different day of the week.

However, with the advent of the intended move Glad introduces a new pair of underwear to the discussions a thong' but whose were these?

Penni Gillis is a new writer and her play is well-written and clearly structured. However at times the dialogue is a little tedious the underwear joke does tend to drag on. Naomi Cooke and Frances Land's characterisation of the elderly ladies is well observed and the humour within the script is delivered with good pace. As older characters set in a very naturalistically styled play they don't move around the space much, which is a pity, as this tends to make the piece less engaging.

Still, on the whole it is refreshing to see a play about older women, who are largely dismissed in theatre, and one where our perceptions of older people are stretched and challenged.

Glad: Naomi Cooke
Marge: Frances Land

Director: Therese Collins
Sound: Duncan Chave
Costume: Toni Griffiths
Photography: Dave Finchett

2005-03-13 02:57:56