Thought-provoking, funny and moving family drama by Kenilworth group

Most of us know what it’s like to have noisy neighbours. But the frustration is taken to the extreme in this senstive family comedy by John Godber, which manages to touch the heartstrings in a warm and entertaining manner.

The play is composed of flashbacks from the mind of through-and-through Yorkshire lass and widow May, who is moving out of the home she has shared with her husband Ted for more than 40 years. We see the young couple watch their son grow up and endure the pain Ted goes through at the time the mining pits were closed. We see the couple grow old together in their house - until Ted dies, horribly, from a heart attack while attempting to get his beyond-rude neighbours to quieten down.

It is a tragic tale - and I do think a lot about my own older family members while watching - but also very funny. The humour mostly comes from the realism of the couple’s situation. They argue with each other and their son, they are irritated by each other’s annoying habits - but they also care deeply for one another and we really feel for May - played by Anne Bennett, who must be applauded for the warmth of her portrayal which sees her on stage for almost every scene - when she is suddenly left alone to battle against the disgusting young couple who are constantly drunk, abusive, loud and rude to each other, their own children and May. Paul Sanders and Karen Brooks must be commended for their acutely observant portrayals of these two people, the likes of whom we have all seen and crossed the road to avoid.

I enjoyed the use of music to signify the decade in which we are in as we step into May’s memory - although I would have preferred a little more effort into portraying a younger Ted and Jack. But the set, split between May and Ted’s home and the neighbouring house, works perfectly with the story.

Sundari Cleal