I remember the night that all the Theatres across the United Kingdom shut their doors and left their Ghost Lights on to watch over the stages while lockdown commenced. It all seems an age ago now with everything back to normal and Theatres back in full swing.
The evening of Theatre at The Square Tower in Portsmouth begins with two short appetizer plays named Peas and Carrot before the main course of Lockdown in Little Grimley.
Peas is about an unlikely matched couple from a newly set up dating app. Daisy (Leigh Cunningham) and Gerry (Aaron Holdaway) have very little in common and the awkwardness at times can be uncomfortable.
Daisy and Gerry wouldn’t even give each other a second look if they passed each other in the street. After ascertaining how little they have in common or understand about each other the evening takes an unexpected turn.
Carrot takes on the factory Union representative played by Peter McChronan as Martin aka (Brian) apparently Peter (Patric Howe) has taken over the ailing manufacturing factory and is struggling to compete with a rival who is importing parts from China and selling at significantly lower prices.
Martin can save the day but only if he puts his principles to one side and accepts an unusual proposal made by Peter to help save the factory and some of the jobs of the men Martin represents. However, the sad reality is that the comedy sketch will have been a reality for some factories as the industrial landscape had changed.
Lockdown in Little Grimley takes the audience back to the time when social distancing allowed small groups of people to start performing again and creating the “magic” of theatre. Well, the ambitious director and star of the amateur theatre in Little Grimley, Gordon (Patric Howe) has grand ideas of putting on a hospital-based comedy to raise money for the NHS.
Gordon wants to put the clapping for the NHS to good use in his new production. However, can he convince his three co-stars to make Theatre magic happen again?
We meet the cast ill matched team. Bernard (Peter McChronan) whose struggling financially with lockdown and finds toilet rolls a temptation. He loves to wind up Margaret (Leigh Cunningham), whose clad in leopard print with a matching face mask is known for using her best assets to attract the crowds although she protests that she doesn’t like it.
Then lastly we meet the slightly forgetful Joyce (Sue Bartlett) who cannot follow a script and misses her cues. However, she bakes a mean banana loaf much to Bernard’s delight. The show must go on regardless of what happens next.
The four cast members bounce the comedy off each other throughout. Especially Bernard and Margaret with Gordon desperately trying to stop them from coming to blows. However, Joyce’s oblivion to most of what is going on is funny, especially her mispronounced lines.
The three productions are all different and offer a great night out at the theatre, funny and entertaining. Each of the characters felt organic and we all probably know someone similar in our everyday lives.
The beauty of small venues like this one for me is being so close to the action and feeling part of the experience. For more information about Lockdown in Little Grimley please click on the link below.
Four Stars.
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/newapollo
https://www.facebook.com/share/1EZUMUNDgq/
https://www.facebook.com/events/615291774446325/615291781112991/
Theatre, Art and Film Reviews 
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