Month of Sundays

A Month of Sundays

by
Bob Larby

Presented at the Phoenix Theatre in Ross-on-Wye
by ROADS (Ross Operatic And Dramatic Society)
September 7th. to 16th.

CAST

Aylott	Alan Lane
Cooper	Howard Owen
Julia	Denise Hall
Peter	Nigel Patrick
Mrs Bale	Angela Mason
Nurse Wilson	Dion Dhorne

Directed by
Barbara Morley-Jones

From the Papers

Hereford Journal

ROADS' presentation of "A Month of Sundays" by Bob Larby (of "The Good Life" and "A Fine Romance" fame) at the Phoenix Theatre is one of those plays. which depresses and elates you in equal measure. There are many laughs and possibly, a few tears too.
Veteran ROADS actor Howard Owen whose return after an absence of two years from the stage of the Phoenix is most welcome, supplies the former. He has a mammoth role, and although 'first night nerves' affected his performance somewhat, he captured the role of Cooper very well. The character's wry humour, his way of coping with life in a retirement home, came across most sympathetically.
Alan Lane play's Cooper's fellow resident and he gives a truly great performance. His body language and mumbling speech are most touching and believable as he lapses into dementia.
Newcomer, Dion Dhorne, is decorative and natural as the sympathetic nurse (sans the nurses' usual accoutrements of fob watch and badge etc.). Her fondness for her curmudgeon patient comes across very well.
Our hero's insensitive daughter and son-in-law, played by Denise Hall and Nigel Patrick, made a very believable couple, despite the fact that Miss Hall's eyes were completely veiled by her thick fringe. Or was this a subtle touch of direction that I mis-interpreted?
The cast is completed by Angela Mason as the pretentious cleaning lady who barely touches the surface of the room and never even looks into the bathroom.
Director Barbara Morley-Jones has captured the spirit of the play, but a little bit more 'business' from the nurse and cleaning lady would have precluded some awkward pauses.
If some of the above sounds over-critical, well. I think it is all constructive, and the praise is well deserved. "A MONTH OF SUNAYS" is well worth seeing and this reviewer recommends you hurry along and get reservations before it is too late.

E.S.

Ross Gazette

The opening night performance of 'A Month of Sundays' was very well supported. Nearly every seat was taken for the show which runs until Saturday, September 16th.
The play, by Bob Larbey, tells the poignant, at times almost unbearably sad, tale of two residents of a home for the elderly. It details the painful rituals of visits from a family who would rather be somewhere else and the dawning realisation that life is moving towards the final, humiliating stage.
Bob Larbey is best known for writing the TV classics including 'The Good Life' and 'A Fine Romance'. He is particularly famous for detailed characterisations. His hilarious one liners are also characteristic of his work.
The cast were, on the whole, very capable of delivering the excellent script. First night nerves meant that the prompt was kept quite busy, but at only one point did this affect the flow of the play. Only one actor lost their cool and stepped out of character when reminded of the words.
The whole script had the ring of truth; anyone who has visited relatives in a nursing home will recognise the situation Aylott and Cooper find themselves in. And anyone who has watched a relative in the early stages of dementia will recognise Aylott.
Alan Lane, as Aylott, perfectly captured the uncertainty that follows from the awareness that the brain is not working as well as it was. He showed a quiet despair when he realised that his life is changing irrevocably for the worse.
The whole cast had obviously worked very hard at developing their characters. Dion Dhorne, as Nurse Wilson, combined a caring nature with the sexiness so often associated with her profession. Angela Mason was also excellent in her supporting role as the cleaner Mrs Baker.
The experienced and talented cast dealt very ably with the excellent script but although this was a comedy it was not my cup of tea. Having nursed my grandfather in the early stages of dementia the play was a little too close to home to make a really enjoyable evening.

Jo Scrivin

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