Take the local ladies darts teams to see a play about darts and you should have the basis of a successful evening. Well the visit to Hull Truck theatre worked when they saw the new play “Double Top” and it gave everyone a lot of pleasure. Mix in the frustrations of every day life and women’s relationships with the men and the families in their lives and you have the basis of Ron Rose's play.

The backdrop is the White Heart pub, the do it all scenery for the play, where a middle class Social Sciences research student meets her college tutor and interacts with the other characters. She devises a research programme involving the setting up of self awareness classes for the men weary women that she meets in the pub. The everyday frustrations of the women lead to the formation of a women’s darts team, a bonding into which Chris is gradually drawn. From then on the darts take over the women’s lives and shows them that they still have to fight for everything they want to archieve, no different to the life style that they are trying to leave behind. Free with the language, the women characters give the actors parts to really exploit, and they do it with tremendous skill and verve, giving superb performances. Martine Brown plays the research student Chris, Michelle Butt plays Kath the publican’s wife, Julie Higginson plays Jackie and Kirsty the “ringer” with Juliet Prew playino Marie. Each woman’s approach to throwing the darts is priceless. All the male characters are played by Robert Hudson, but what a job he makes of it. He manages to change his persona for each character he plays. It’s an achievement to be proud of. His portrayal of a male stripper brings the house down, even his fellow actors cannot keep a straight face as the audience howls with appreciation. The introduction of a ringer in the opposing team in the final of the darts competition instigates a fight which is staged by Bret Young and is one of the best seen in the theatre. All this is going on against a background of music which suits the mood of the play and ranges from Tina Turner’s “Simply the best” to Carl Orffs “Carmena Burunda”. The person who makes it all happen to such great effect is director Garth Tudor Price, with a superb script by Ron Rose.

This play exposes the audience to the experiences of everyday life and how women deal with it. Humour is mixed with the hurt of relationships to make it all bearable in the finely observed play. The audience understood, cheered and applauded when the cast took their well deserved curtain calls. A great evening out. © BA

“Double Top” is in Hull from the 4th of July to the 27th of July, 2002.