PROGRESS Theatre is showing with its latest production that characters may get old, but theatre never will.
Sandi Toksvig’s Silver Lining is the latest work to be produced by the company, which brings a mix of fresh blood and familiar faces from the theatre’s pantheon of players.
The play begins as Storm Vera starts to set in, with rising flood water levels becoming an increasingly worrying problem at the retirement home in which it is set.
Four of the residents, all women of older years with varying levels of sense and senility, quickly become trapped as the home comes under siege by the flooding.
The introduction of a young woman tasked with helping them throws their plans into a lurch and their options become increasingly limited in their isolation.
Melanie Sherwood plays the gutsy, down-with-the-kids Gloria, refusing to let old age become who she is and striving to stay with the times.
Gloria is portrayed by Sherwood with a realism which betrays her considerable experience on stage, especially during the more dramatic beats of the production.
Her performance makes the character’s texting and tweeting feel less of a humorous contrivance and more of a genuine character trait which fits well with the rest of Sherwood’s portrayal and the character as a whole.
Gloria is joined by sisters May and June, whose lives have diverged and whose bond has become strained, through remains strong.
Jo Metcalf’s performance as the wheelchair-bound May is understated at first, allowing the audience to settle in with the rest of the cast, but quickly begins to shine through as one of the play’s pivotal characters. Metcalf’s portrayal is well-judged in its subtlety, allowing the nuance of Toksvig’s script to show in its kind but cutting sarcasm during the first half.
As the second half of the play brings the events to a dramatic development, Metcalf comes into her own as one of the stand-outs of the production.
Meanwhile Liz Paulo’s portrayal of the meek and faithful June is good; her more quiet demeanour is not allowed to get in the way of the punchy humour of the play, and the character, while cliched, doesn’t become a stereotype.
Again, the character comes to the fore as the second half develops, bringing her relationship with her sister into sharp focus– a feat which Paulo handles with an assured and capable performance.
Returning Progress player Juliet England gives a good performance as Maureen, whose more light-hearted contributions feel a little flat compared to some other characters.
However, as the character develops dramatically in the second half, England comes into her own and plays to her strengths.
Rounding out the principal cast is Doris Allimadi as mad-as-hell millennial Hope, and St Michael, an enigmatic resident at the home whose dementia makes her a wildcard member of the team.
Allimadi is still relatively fresh to the stage, but shows promise likely bolstered by her writing experience, and provides the necessary vivaciousness to balance the rest of the characters.
Rowena Sterry’s portrayal of St Michael embraces the character’s whimsical and periodic interruptions and musings without discarding the emotional implications of her poor memory and her abandonment at the home.
Dean Stephenson’s Jed completes the cast with a short appearance towards the centre of the play, and Stephenson brings a believable depth to the character, especially as his true intentions become slightly clearer.
Set work and sound design is of Progress’ usual standard: functional aspects work as they should while little touches made to the set here and there are well-observed.
Overall, Progress Theatre embraces the light and the dark, the humour and the heartbreak, with a production full of funny moments broken up with raw, impactful dramatic beats.
Sandi Toksvig’s writing really shines through, with a first half full of levity and a second which strikes at the heart of what makes great theatre.
While plays such as this can be tricky to pull off without imperfection, Progress shows once again it embraces theatre of all kinds and puts its love of the art form up on the stage for all to see.
Silver Lining is showing at Progress Theatre from Friday, May 19, to Saturday, May 27, with a number of accessible and socially-distanced performances available. Tickets and more information are available via: progresstheatre.co.uk/2023-silver-lining
