Success chimed for When Are Are Married play

The play revolves around three couples facing a problem of gigantic proportions. As they are about to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversaries and to be interviewed and photographed by the press, they discover the vicar who married them was not qualified to do so. In effect, they are not married.

As pillars of the community and church elders the husbands concerned are presented with a dilemma. Can they keep this a secret? Should they remarry? Will the wives agree?

Whitwell Players took this one and ran with it taking the audience with them. The actors in this well-loved group excel in character-acting and this was an ideal play for them. Priestly sets northerner against southerner, wife against husband and lower working class against the aspiring middle with comedic charm.

Joanna Thorpe, Julie Starr and Christina Groucher played the wives beautifully, giving us a wonderful mix of domineering housewife and timid mouse. Tom Munro, Gary Williams and Peter Lack in their turn played the husbands and threw themselves into these parts much to our delight.

Jeannie Raspin was the wickedly nosey lady who does and Julie Cookson the femme fatale. Cassidy Hankinson made a rather dizzy maid and Steve Barnes an imposing reverend. Toby Bagnall and Daniel Fessey were the Mayor and reporter from The Argus and Laura Barrett and Luke Fletcher the church organist and his girlfriend.

Paul Wood was the hilarious press photographer who became increasingly drunk as the play progressed. To say that three of these players were newcomers, it was hard to tell as they seamlessly became part of the team giving confident performances.

With a success such as this their next show is an absolute must.

by Wendy Fidoe