THEATRE REVIEWS

A very nice set, designed by Simon Rorstand, meets the audience's eyes as they enter into a woman's view of the intrigues of being a television celebrity presenter. They will experience the cut throat goings on as people crawl over each other to become the person in the public's eye. This play tries not to make the characters involved into out and out villains, but the fact is rumbling under the surface as Lesley Bruce takes you through My Own Show and lets Deboroh Bruce direct the predictable plot. This is certainly proof that you should avoid reunions at all costs or you will encounter the traumas of friends reunited.

Fay, played by Maggie Ollerenshaw, is the fading one of the moment, who has just had her life pulled through a television programme, meeting old acquaintances willing to come forward and say scripted things about her. Her hangers on, Gillian (Susan Twist) and Jude (Gabrielle Lloyd) pay lip service to get the fall offs from her life. Then add the tolerated one, Bollards, played by Gillian Hanna, with her childlike son Allan (Ian Midlane) who designs full scale Dinky toy cars, and the roles start to reverse. br> This is a woman's play and they will get the most from it, but it makes for an interesting evening which the audience seemed to appreciate. © BA

“My Own Show” is in repertory at the McCarthy in Scarborough from the 17th August to the 9th of September, 2006. This is a No Smoking theatre.