A very warm welcome to A Passionate Woman by Kay Mellor, performed by the Highbury Players. The play tells the story of Betty, a devoted mother who retreats to the attic on the morning of her son’s wedding. As her husband and son desperately try to persuade her to come downstairs and attend the wedding, Betty begins to relive her youth, bringing long-buried memories and emotions back to the surface. As the play develops into its second act, the action moves from the attic to the rooftop, where the story takes a different turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kay Mellor has a wonderful ability to write stories that feel real, relatable and full of heart, and A Passionate Woman is no exception. Set in the 1990s, the play explores relationships, memories, regrets and the desire to hold on to something that perhaps belongs in the past. It is a story that offers plenty of opportunities for both laughter and emotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the first things that caught my attention was the set. The production takes place within the attic and on the roof of the family home, creating a considerable challenge for the cast and crew. Not only does the set need to rotate between the two locations, but there is also a loft hatch positioned in the middle of the stage floor, which all of the actors use, apart from the ghost. That alone requires some careful planning and coordination. However, it was clear that the cast were having great fun with the set, and it became an important part of the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The attic itself was filled with realistic props that many of us would recognise from our own homes: odd chairs, Christmas decorations and rolls of leftover carpet. These details helped create an authentic family attic, the sort of place where memories and forgotten belongings gather over the years. When the set rotated to reveal the roof, the realism continued, with guttering and a television aerial adding to the sense that we were looking at the top of an actual family home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I also enjoyed the costume choices, particularly the matching wedding attire worn by the father and son. It had the appearance of clothing hired especially for the big day, which was a lovely touch and helped reinforce the occasion at the heart of the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pippa Oliver, playing Betty, brought a wide range of emotions to the role. She managed to combine the more heartfelt moments with plenty of humour, making sure the comedy in her lines landed naturally. Her opening monologue was particularly important, setting the scene and giving the audience an insight into the character and the world she was about to take us into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gareth May, playing Betty’s son Mark, brought a whole new meaning to wedding-day nerves! His character’s desperation to get his mum to the church was both amusing and, at times, genuinely touching. As an audience member, you couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, particularly during the moments when he found himself clinging to the roof. It was certainly not the wedding morning he had imagined!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dan Burnham played Craze, Betty’s lover, who initially leaves the audience wondering exactly what is going on. His sudden appearance in the loft raises questions: is he really a ghost, or is he a product of Betty’s imagination? That uncertainty adds an intriguing element to the story, allowing the audience to discover more as the play unfolds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, we meet Donald, Betty’s husband, played by Richard Irons. Having not seen the play before, and without reading the programme, I had initially imagined that Donald might remain a voice offstage throughout the production. His appearance was therefore a pleasant surprise, and he was quite different from the character I had pictured in my mind. Although Betty sees him as lacking spontaneity, Richard brought a commanding presence to the role, giving Donald a sense of authority within the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What I particularly enjoyed about this production was the way it allowed me to experience a range of emotions. There were moments when I laughed, moments when I felt for the characters, and moments when I found myself willing Mark to make it to the church with his mum by his side, rather than having to watch the wedding from the rooftop!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overall, Highbury Players have brought a warm, entertaining and thought-provoking production to the stage. With an imaginative set, a talented cast and a story that combines humour with genuine emotion, A Passionate Woman offers plenty for an audience to enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think it’s time I retreated to my own attic for a little me time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reviewed by – Emma T.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A very warm welcome to A Passionate Woman by Kay Mellor, performed by the Highbury Players. The play tells the story of Betty, a devoted mother who retreats to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3320,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-2027","category-highbury-theatre"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bfame.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bfame.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bfame.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bfame.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bfame.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3418"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bfame.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3419,"href":"https:\/\/bfame.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3418\/revisions\/3419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bfame.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bfame.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bfame.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bfame.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}