Woolton Drama Group’s inaugural ten-minute play festival in Liverpool, ‘A Taste of Funny; served up five fresh pieces of work, all being performed for the first time, tickling many a funny bone judging by the audience’s reaction throughout the night.
An eclectic evening commenced with A Ghost on Penny Lane written by Zoe Marras & Adam Wareing and directed by Marras. Self-centred scouser Billy (John William Reynolds) is visited by a Beatles-obsessed ghost from the 1960s in need of his urgent help. Will Lucy (Ife Babatunde) be able to convince him to do the right thing, or will he just continue to wallow in misery? A humorous tale of relationships and reminiscing.
The Morning After written by Kathryn West and directed by Alan Morris introduces us to Brian (Elliot Ross) and Eliza (Heather Robinson) whose first date has had an unexpected ending, and the morning after they find themselves still together. But when Kate (Charlotte Titley) arrives, she forces them to confront the stories they have told each other: have they been entirely truthful? A farcical take on dating apps for seniors.
The Mersey Mashup written by Leonie Thompson and directed by Chrys Fergani takes us back to school where Mr Johnson (Carl Latham) envisions a classical ensemble for an upcoming talent show. But with the students (Kathryn Keeton; Kayde Burke; Johnny Andrew) preferring modern Merseybeat music, it’s only a matter of time before rehearsals attract the attention of the strict headmistress (Fergani) in this comical clash of culture and crescendo.
The Tie Back’ written by Mark Davoren and directed by Paul Arends sees last respects paid ahead of a funeral and cremation until the son (Kyle Jensen) realises that it’s his tie around his dearly departed father’s collar and sets out to navigate his way around stern matriarch Mammy (Charlotte Holguin) to safeguard its return before it literally goes up in smoke in this hilarious absurd black comedy drama.
Finally, Love and Lunchboxes written and directed by Jenny Snell lays bare Rachel’s (Gemma Hurst) life of packed lunches, work chaos, teenage drama, and disastrous dates as she juggles the demands of her children Tina (Elise Ng) and James (Joe Gallagher) with the romance and pressures from a selection of blokes and teachers (various cameos from Alun Parry) in this amusing semi-autobiographical piece.
Scratch nights by their very nature demand a certain pace to the proceedings so it was impressive to see such quick turnarounds from each of the companies bearing in mind that each production had a well-considered set, with prompt set-up and strike ensuring the momentum and energy of the evening was maintained throughout, and with a special mention to master of ceremonies, Zoran Blackie, who set the tone for the evening from the off with his insightful quips delightfully introducing each act.
Whilst there were obviously a lot of support from family and friends for the various members of each production for this one-off event, it was pleasing to see an overly full house made up from the local community who clearly recognise the quality of productions emanating from Woolton Drama Group and knew that come what may, they were going to be well entertained, and they were not wrong, in what was, all in all, a truly fun evening embracing a variety of themes, genres, and theatrical forms with much for the audience to appreciate and enjoy from an array of local talent: bravo and here’s to the next one!
Reviewer: Patrick McDonagh
Reviewed: 13th June 2025
North west End UK Rating: N/A – short, one-off pieces