Ann Mayo for the Lichfield Post June 16th 2005
This play was a tribute to teamwork.
Seven actresses manage to peel off several layers of their characters to give us a fascinating and thoroughly entertaining piece of drama.
Six of the seven were members of a slimming club, the other the domineering instructor of the Slim For Life club. Mandy Davies, as the latter gave a commanding performance as Siobhan, who'd lost severa stones in weight on the 'life plan' and proceeded to run the private lives of her slimming class as well as their diets. But this changed when some new members joined and turned the tables on Siobhan to reveal a nervous, unfulfilled woman.
Dinah Mann excelled as the Scottish Claudette, taking her character from the frightened overweight divorcee through to the confident ringleader of the revolt against their leader. Her 'sneaky sweets' scenes were just brilliant. rachel Buckland as the timid Rosie turned in an exceptional performance, alongside Sue Coley, Carol Lawford and Christine McDermott. And a special mention for Ashleigh Pitt, who turned in an extremely believable performance as the (eventually revealed) anorexic Kelly.
This play, directed by Sarah Stanley, was a real treat to watch - although the ending was a little strange - and played to almost packed houses over a seven night tun. |
