Our lead character, Helen, (portrayed by Emma Mulligan) barely leaves the stage. However, given the sheer volume of stage time, the delivery was very two dimensional. Believe me when I say that I wanted to root for this character as our lead protagonist, but I was left with very little emotional connection with her. 

At this point, it would have been easy for this production to completely unravel, however, we were treated to some stand-out performances. Emmerdale’s Joe Gill strongly adopted multiple roles and encapsulated these with sustained, solid regional accents and an unwavering stage-presence. Props must also go to the often scene-stealing Lynne Fitzgerald (also sporting multiple roles) who gave us the highlight of the evening with her larger than life, Scouse turn as beautician, hairdresser and ‘under-the-table’ money-maker, Betty. Laughs reverberated around the auditorium during our time spent in her salon and her comic timing was applaudable. Lynn Francis and Tom Roberts (playing Helen’s mother and father, respectively) were also solid in their roles and derived a decent amount of light and shade from what was, unfortunately, an often-monotone book.