Summers End - A Comedy Drama by Eric Chappel
Directed by Tony Birch
Monday 6th to Saturday 11th October 2008
Emily Baines & May Brewer share a room in a retirement home. Emily's roommate, Bella died not long ago. Was she murdered? Bella's sapphire ring disappears and turns up again. Emily cannot remember enough about her past to stop the finger of suspicion pointing at her.
The Cast
Emily Baines - Dorothy Wilkinson
May Brewer - Dot Hynes
Sally - Nicola Kyriakides
Mrs. Lang - Lynn Henry
Alan Baines - Mike Jordan |
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Photography by: Jessie Wright & Tony Birch
A CD of photographs from the show are available for 1.00, please contact us using the form on the contact page
Production Team
Set Building Team - Steve Hyde, John Carroll, Tracy Ireland, Marion Hurst, Irene Parker, Tony Birch, Mike Jordan, Howard Davies, Frank Gibbons
Set design - Steve Hyde
Theatre Artist - Tracy Ireland
Wardrobe Manager - Marion Hurst
Lighting Design - Tony Birch
Sound Operative - John Carroll
Lighting Operative - Sue Thorp
Stage Manager - Norma Raif
Properties - Jackie Hall, Becky Gee, Janet Crozier
Continuity - Norma Raif
Bar & Front Of House Staff - DLT Members
Artistic Director - Norma Raif
Ticket Secretary - Peter Larkin
Marketing - Claire White
Poster Design & Production - Claire White
Programme Compilation - Alan Crozier
Review from The Tameside Reporter:
Splendid Summer End
A cosy retirement home offers no rest for the wicked as Droylsden Little Theatre sets the stage for a dramatic murder mystery.
Talented thespians are giving their audience a peak through the curtains at Summer End, a respectable residential facility that hides a dark secret.
From an opening scene where chalk-and-cheese roommates Emily Baines and May Brewer are offering sharp observations on the latest round of obituaries in the newspaper, the play provides a perfect marriage of comedy and tragedy.
As with any good whodunit, onlookers are kept guessing to the end over the question of who killed Emily's former roommate, the wealthy Bella.
The belligerent Emily is convinced that a deadly conspiracy was masterminded by staff, while May attempts to temper what surely must be wild fantasies.
The play is largely dominated by the clash of personalities that fill the small room where Emily (Dorothy Wilkinson) and May (Dot Hynes) reside.
Underneath the surface of the classic murder plot lies a poignant story of the loneliness of old age.
The residents of Summers End are described by the home's warden Mrs Lang (Lynn Henry) as garbage gathered up and cleaned by retirement homes when relatives no longer have room for them.
Emily believes two of her children have emigrated to escape her, while she protests that long-suffering son Alan (Mike Jordan) is only interested in his inheritance.
May finds solace in the bottle over her lack of communication with son Frank and even passes the retirement home without dropping in for a visit.
Emily concedes that they have outlived their usefulness, living so long that their relatives can see all their faults.
While she once told her son to eat his greens, he is now ordering her to do the same.
The sub-plot provides an intriguing distraction as the story edges ever closer to a thrilling conclusion.
While the play never leaves the confines of Emily's room, the quick pace never lags throughout.
Even until the final scene we are left wondering how the story will end, but director Tony Birch has a few surprises up his sleeve until the last word is uttered.
While Summers End might not be a place you'd like to send your dear old grandma, it provides the perfect setting for a production packed with twists and turns.
Summers End plays at Droylsden Little Theatre until this Saturday, starting at 7.45pm each night.
For booking information, call (0161) 370 7713.
review CHRIS MAXWELL
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