Ladies' Day, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre - review

The 2018 choice is Ladies' Day, a popular tale of four funny friends from a fish filleting factory (try saying that after a few drinks!) who grab the chance to go to the races when one of the four, Pearl, announces she is retiring.

Usually bedecked in wellies and overalls, the girls dress up to the nines and set off in search of fun, frolics and flirting, with a sense of adventure only four females can exude.

The original was set in Hull, but playwright Amanda Whittington graciously agreed to rewrite this version with a Black Country theme which means the script oozes local references and jokes which the Saturday evening audience revelled in.

The scenery and lighting were simple but adequate and actually worked very well as nothing distracted from the performances.

Perfect casting of a play with four strong leading ladies is essential and this has certainly been achieved.

Each of the fabulous four have issues which gradually surface and the actresses chosen here all ensured both sides of their characters were well depicted.

Eastenders' Cheryl Fergison as Jan, the doting single mum whose life is on hold, brought the house down with her hilarious drunken antics and completely nailed the Midlands accent. Such a natural comedy performer - with impeccable timing and talent - for me stole the show.

That said, Deena Payne as Pearl, a woman caught up in an extra-marital affair, showed a much softer character than you would expect given her long stint in Emmerdale, displaying her versatility and experience to the full.

There was an over the top performance from Emma Rigby as Shelley, the tart with the heart, which maybe the character demands, but I am not so sure as at times it was a little crude. That said the laughs came thick and fast, so who am I to judge?

Finally, Roisin O'Neill offered a suitably demure performance as Linda, the downtrodden Irish filly with a sponging, controlling mother and then became endearing and delightful as her character finds love.

They say that behind every successful man is a good woman, but it's the other way around in this case. The only male member of the main cast, Sean McKenzie, did a sterling job of playing a variety of male roles, each one completely different and each one with great comedic timing and characterisation.

This is a community theatre project and it was wonderful to see a strong ensemble of local performers in the background as racegoers and workers.

Although working hard throughout the play, they did however lack direction at times, but hopefully this will be corrected and improve as the two-week run continues.

With a recurring theme of Tony Christie music throughout the show, who better but the man himself to make an appearance?

In fine voice, the star whipped his way through hit after hit to complete a highly entertaining evening.

For a frothy, funny storyline with amusing performances which just allows you to sit back and belly laugh, Ladies' Day will definitely do the trick and you will be guaranteed to chuckle all the way home.

Runs until July 28.

For tickets visit www.grandtheatre.co.uk or call 01902 429212.