Sheila’s Island – The Lowry

Sheila’s Island is a sharp and charming new piece of comedy writing by Tim Firth (Calendar Girls, Kinky Boots) and is extremely funny and very well written…

The Quays Theatre within The Lowry was the perfect setting for this one set play showcasing the talents of four very talented ladies.   

The set was simple yet very well designed and the sound and lighting never missed a beat.   The cast were not wearing microphones but to be honest they didn’t need them.  Projected and clear and not a word missed from the back of the stalls.

Hair, make-up and costume were all on point for this present day setting.

Now, a bit of background…..

For Team C from Pennine Mineral Water Ltd, their team building weekend has well and truly been blown way off course. No number of backpacks full of ‘emergency’ supplies or misunderstood crossword clues can get them off this island and back in time for the team ‘assessment’ and the final banquet.  The office is a blur and truths, both ugly and beautiful boil and bubble their way out.  Will ‘Kumbaya’ really lift spirits and why is Fay singing the first line from ‘Oklahoma’? The elected team captain struggles to keep her team alive and morale up as the group face a variety of issues such as hunger, cold weather, and a possible killer, as well as their own interpersonal issues.

These four actresses were superb, and all deserved to be up on that stage.  From the one line, sometimes cut to the bone, sarcastic quips from Denise (played wonderfully by Abigail Thaw of Endeavour) to the girl guide ‘captain’ type character, Sheila (played well by Judy Flynn of The House of Elliott) there was something for everyone in this charming, sharp and witty offering.

Sara Crowe (Calendar Girls – both play and musical) was simply brilliant in her role as the slightly ‘doolally’ Fay. Fay had suffered some mental health issues, and these were dealt with well, with a few little sarcastic comments from Thaw which brought the lighter side to a tough to talk about and sometimes somewhat challenging subject… 

For me, our next actress was just simply fantastic – Rina Fatania’s portrayal of Julie was enough to make you love her whilst also feeling a little sorry for her especially as she seemed to the butt of a lot of Denise’s jokes. She’s also the one I most related to, not in the relationship side of things, but the middle age issues, the middle of the road management issues and basically just the ‘middle’ issues. Ha ha… She was funny, clever and completely loveable. Well done… 

In this piece of art, the ladies do disagree on several things throughout but in the end, as in the real world, they must work together to survive using humour, faith, backpacks and an Angel along the way.

This is definitely worth a trip to the theatre, and I encourage everyone to join these girls on their misadventure.

It’s playing at The Lowry https://thelowry.com/whats-on/sheilas-island/ until Saturday 2nd April and then continuing its tour at The Lyceum Theatre, Crewe https://crewelyceum.co.uk/Online/tickets-sheilas-island-crewe-2022

Well done to all involved and best of luck with the rest of the run.

Reviewer: Hazel Bumby              

Reviewed: 29^th March 2022

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★