The Grange Players
Present
Ladies in Lavender
Adapted for the Stage by Shaun McKenna
Directed by Rosemary Manjunath
16th - 25th March 2017
Ladies in Lavender is a lovely, gentle play set in Cornwall in the mid-1930's. We see sisters Ursula and Janet Widdlington's lives turned upside down with the introduction of Andrea into their home. He is found washed ashore by their property close to death and they take it upon themselves to nurse him back to health. It is discovered that Andrea is Polish and was travelling on a boat to try and become a violinist in America before he was swept ashore. He is extremely talented and it isn't long before his talent is discovered by Olga Daniloff who's brother is a world renowned violinist.
Mary Whitehouse gives a wonderful performance as Ursula. She is touching, with a sparkle in her eye. She shows us that even though we may be ageing on the outside that we are still all young at heart and her growing fondness for Andrea is delivered with lovely subtly and grace. There are not many actors who can really tell a story with their eyes but Mary does this with every glance and meaningful stare which is a true talent.
Sandra Haynes who plays Janet is a lovely contrast to the sensitive Ursula. She is 'to the point' and obviously the driving force in the household. Sandra delivers her part with charm and there are some lovely tender moments between the sisters.
There are a lot of laughs within this play and Jill Simkin who plays Dorcas certainly gets her fair share of the funny lines. Her facial expressions alone told a thousand stories and her quickly delivered one liners had the audience laughing which made this a perfectly rounded performance with laughs, sadness and reminiscing.
The rest of the cast were made up of Paul Viles who plays Dr Mead, David Smith as Andrea and Leah Solmaz as Olga. They all gave wonderful performances which made this a truly entertaining piece of theatre to watch.
The set was designed by the director Rosemary Manjunath and it was extremely well thought out, with the bedroom, sitting room, garden and beach all being present on stage without the need for lengthy set changes which can always take away from the action. I particularly liked how action could be happening in the garden while other characters are doing things in the living room or in the bedroom. This really did make it feel as if you were in the action with them. The lighting and sound by Stan Vigurs and Colin Mears really helped this piece come alive and I can honestly say that I had a thoroughly entertaining evening where a piece of theatre has come together and produced something memorable. So well done to everyone involved.
It would be a shame to miss this play, so get yourself over to The Grange between 16th - 25th March 2017.
Box Office: 07909 036 835
Website: www.grangeplayers.co.uk
Address: The Grange Playhouse, Broadway North, Walsall, West Midlands. WS1 2QB
