Sheila's Island

Went to see a performance of Sheila’s Island by Tim Firth at the intimate and busy Quays Theatre in the Lowry last night. Liz Cooke set design did a great job of bring the misery, wet and cold of the ‘outdoors – indoors.  A minimalist set and backdrop worked well in creating a real sense of the isolation of the girls stranded on the island – great job!  

The characterization, although partly expected, worked well as a group. Sheila, played by Judy Flynn, accomplished as the dependable, unflappable, logically thinking member of the group trying to hold them together amidst increasing anxiety and disaster. Fay, expertly played by Sara Crowe, the distant, fragile team member burdened by past troubles, always lurking just beneath the surface of the group’s conversation. Most of the giggles and unrestrained laughter at times from the audience was saved for Julie, played by Rina Fatania, who was the stand-out performer in her role as the batty, confused and hilariously ‘belt and braces’ prepared back-packer. The ‘Aladdins-Cave’ rucksack that repeatedly produced camping equipment but forgot the ‘essentials’ and her ‘back-to-front’ retelling of the ‘duck-bill’ joke were memorable.

All the one-liners were saved for Denise, played by Abigail Thaw, and whilst delivered flawlessly with impeccable timing, maybe there were just too many of them in too many lines.

Overall, an enjoyable night out with a lot of giggles and an ever-changing storyline which kept you engaged with the characters and kept you in anticipation of the next disaster to befall them on the island.

The stiletto-holed, soggy, floating Pepperoni slice has put me off Pizza for life!

WE SCORE SHEILA'S ISLAND - 8/10