This was a tremendous play, captivating, engaging and utterly enjoyable!
Both Kym Marsh (Hedy) and Lisa Faulkner (Allie) delivered a solid performance in their respective roles.
The vulnerability of both characters – in diverse extremes – had the audience gripped and on the edge of their seats. The slightly over two hour play, which felt like half of that, had the audience rooting for fragile, naive Allie as she desperately tried to make a new start for her daughter and herself. Marsh played the devious antagonist with a secret and a score to settle…mostly, very well. Not known for her realistic and gritty portrayal of women, she delivered her lines with considerable ease however her constant posturing around the stage was off-putting along with the constant pulling-down of her jumper in Act One. I think the Casting Director and entire creative team should have pointed out to Marsh that walking around deliberately sticking out her ample chest was not required for this role – could have got away with this is more in Act Two when trying to seduce Allie’s husband and showing a the sinister, manipulative side to Hedy’s character – however on-the-whole it was immature and off-putting watching this middle-aged woman do this. This can be saved for her TV roles. Sadly, on a few occasions, it detracted from the serious plot.
The play delivered numerous clever adaptations bringing it into a modern age for a new audience to relate to; a clever ploy by Rebecca Reid which paid off. It is always difficult to adapt a well known book and iconic 90s psychological thriller to the stage however this bold move was captivating and creative. For the die-hard fans it still had the ‘stiletto incident’ that the book and film become synonymous with.
The set design used for the entirety of the play was elaborate and realistic as an apartment and did not need to change. The one set allowed for seamless transitions between the scenes.
To witness this play and watch how their lives intertwine, boundaries blur, and a seemingly perfect living arrangement begins to unravel, please contact the box office. Open from 10am-5pm from Monday to Saturday on 0151 709 4776 or email: [email protected]
Rating * * * * Aron Julius delivered a debut masterpiece with Conteh. Not only did this versatile and talented actor deliver
Rating: * * * This is a difficult review for me as having read and devoured James M Cain’s original 1943 novel
History doesn’t always arrive with fanfare. Sometimes it slips in quietly, through a half-open window, carrying something far more dangerous. This May,
The Broken Spine is a poetry and arts collective proudly published on the coastal edge of North-West England. Founded in 2019 by Alan Parry and Paul Robert Mullen – two school friends reunited after twenty years through a mutual love of poetry.
