A Passionate Woman

I saw this play tonight at Melville Theatre. I didn't see Gordon the Optom there (Thank God. He probably would have hated it). This is a comedy which has all the elements of a farce but which somehow manages to move audiences to tears. By the way, I am not involved in this production at all. As an audient, one is immediately struck by the simple but realistic set, seemingly divided in two halves but yet all the same location. While the first Act action is largely confined to the stage right half, you just know there is going to be plenty happening out on those tiles come Act 2. I don't want to give away too much, but I was most impressed with the stagecraft involved in having one character who was visible to only one other character, while there were others wildly thrashing about in a confined space, always managing just to miss the invisible one. I was also impressed with the simple lighting effect of the mirror ball - a much underrated mood-changer. Finally, at that point in the play where the circumstances were such that the action could easily have become farcically frenetic, Director Brenda Stanley had her cast calm the pace, just as it would happen in real life, where life, limb and sanity were at stake. Also, the roof-top effects generally were very realistic. Well done, all. PS I have it on good authority that this is a must-see for all middle-aged women with a birthmark on their right butt-cheek.