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Ladies in Retirement, Poulner Players, Poulner Church Hall, Ringwood

IT’S been a long week, and the prospect of yet another evening sitting in a darkened auditorium did not cheer me. But from the second the curtain rose on this excellent production, directed by Peter Ansell, I found myself caught up in the drama of the unfolding events on stage.

The play is set during 1885 in a lonely house near Gravesend, home of retired actress Leonora Fiske (Sally Jenn-Board), her companion Ellen Creed (Valerie Rossiter) and maid Lucy (an impressive debut from 16 year old Lauren Hall). But when Ellen’s odd sisters Louisa (Julie Lax) and Emily (Angela Hunt) come to visit, things are never the same again, especially when their nephew Albert Feather (Henry Benson) arrives, apparently on the run from the police.

Apart from one tiny detail concerning the whereabouts of Tit Willow in the score of The Mikado – it’s nowhere near the beginning, which was where Leonora had it open to play the piece on the piano – I could hardly fault anything. A superb set, great props and costumes and a cast (which also included Gwen Henson as Sister Theresa) who really lived their characters, made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening’s entertainment.

Linda Kirkman

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