It's been quite a busy time at Repertory Theatre with our play Flat Out coming to a close on Saturday, April 30. Of course, the cursed Covid-19 had an impact on audience numbers and some nervousness among our patrons: "Do we have to wear a mask? Can we sit close to other people?"
Unfortunately, one cast member was obliged to remain in quarantine, so they were unable to appear at the theatre. Undaunted, director Kerry Girdwood stepped into the breach, script in hand. As the saying goes, "The show must go on".
Our play reading group thoroughly enjoyed our evening reading Blue Remembered Hills. It's set in southwest England during World War II, 1943. One of our group, Dorothy, was a young lady at the time and brought along photos of herself working as a land girl during the war. "We picked up potatoes all day and were paid a penny ha'penny per day," Dorothy told us.
Two other group members, Colin and Lynne, were in the cast when Joan Street directed Blue Remembered Hills at The Rep in 1998. There are some really funny scenes in the play, but the finale is quite shocking. "There was a stunned silence in the auditorium at the end," Colin recalled.
Although the end is shocking, I'm still smiling at the memory of some scenes. There's one where the "children" are playing house. "Father" comes home from work and announces that he's sawn his thumb off at the sawmill. "Ah well ..." says Mother, "I'll just make a cup of tea."
The universal panacea, a cup of tea. Come along to The Rep and join us for a cuppa some time. We'd love to see you.
