I received an invitation from East Riding Theatre to see their production of Gladys, A Beverley Love Story. So went along to this delightful, friendly and cosy theatre.
This is a story about a long-married couple called Gladys and Alfie (Andrew Dunn). They are happy with their lot, he is retired and she has a part-time job. They go to local cafes, see friends in town and seem to have just a whole life that most of us will be facing in our later years. Life is good but they miss their son.
Alfie’s little bursts of wisdom and humour had the audience laughing. He was so down to earth. Their only child and fiancée live abroad and live their own lives rarely contacting mum and dad. My anger towards the son rose as the play went on; it’s a good job he didn’t physically appear or I would have been up on the stage to punch him!
Throughout the first act there is an undertow to Alfie’s health and we learn he is dying and has not long to live. He goes into hospital and just before the interval we learn that Alfie has died. Gladys has a whole solo scene looking through Alfie’s hospital bag and wondering how she will get on with life, now she is alone. By this point, I was fighting back tears and sobs. Gladys (Jacqueline Naylor) acted her socks off. The emotion portrayed felt as if it came from the heart and I felt as broken as Gladys was.
It was time for the interval and I sat there with my tub of ice cream wondering how act two would unfold as the first act had been so good and emotional. Just where could they take this story? Would the son appear? I didn’t have long to wait.
Act two opens with Gladys sat in the park, remembering Alfie. Lost in her thoughts and obviously suffering widow’s depression and the mourning process is almost making her ill. Suddenly this larger than life woman appears on stage, struggling with heavy shopping bags and bemoaning that potatoes weigh so much.
She sits alongside Gladys and Gladys tries to ignore her as the mystery lady talks about coming from Worthing to visit her pregnant daughter and look after the grandchildren. She asks if Gladys is ok and introduces herself as Daphne. They talk and Gladys ‘puts up’ with this strange lady chatting to her. But when Daphne sees that Gladys is depressed, she takes her under her wing and arranges to meet up for a cuppa the following week.
A friendship then develops over act two and Gladys becomes a great friend both with Daphne and also Daphne’s grandchildren (something she always wanted but her son will never be providing). They become really good friends and when Daphne has to return home, they arrange to keep in touch and that Gladys will be in the lives of Daphne’s family.
This was such a wholesome play by Jane McLauchlan which could so easily be adapted to other towns with the change of a few lines during the play. It has been a while since a play affected my emotions so deeply and I could sense I was not the only one in the audience who felt the same. East Riding Theatre may only be a small venue but it has productions which pack a punch.
Keep an eye out for future productions and their Christmas Production will be Letters from the Lighthouse – Evacuated from London during WW2, 12-year-old Olive and her little brother Cliff are sent to Devon to stay with a secretive lighthouse keeper. Before long they find themselves embroiled in a thrilling adventure involving unexplained disappearances, coded messages, and family secrets. Will Olive get to the bottom of the mystery? I’m looking forward to this one!
Gladys, A Beverley Love Story is running at East Riding Theatre until Saturday 22nd October – more information and tickets are available here >>
