Kayla Keatley and Nicolle Caine in Saving Grace. Picture by Shiny New Theatre.
Originally published by L.S. Media. July 17th 2012
L.S. Media Rating ****
Cast: Nicolle Caine, Kayla Keatley, Josie Sedgewick-Davies, Jay Podmore.
Ever wondered what it’s like to be left with an overactive imagination, a hen night that takes all the delights of your sitting room and the worry of a mate who hasn’t had a date in years? Saving Grace by Dave Griffiths packs all of these elements into one of the shows that’s a part of the Shiny New Festival going on all this week at the Lantern Theatre, Liverpool.
Dave Griffiths takes the standard hen party do and turns it on its head and with four very powerful and supremely enjoyable performances by Nicolle Caine, Kayla Keatley, Josie Sedgewick and Jay Podmore giving the audience more than was possibly bargained for. This was a motif that would carry on into the night, with dialogue that seemed to flow back and forth like the Mersey and moments of pure silent comedy gold.
Saving Grace is one of those great plays where the audience never gets to meet the titled character, the expected goes out of the window and is replaced by a piece of writing that relies on the imagination of the audience and that of the four actors who perform against each other in a mutual bonding moment. The wonderful thing is that this play brings the four actors together and gets rid of that star quality that can haunt so many performances. Like Waiting For Brando, recently on at the Unity Theatre, it brings a closeness to the cast and for that, makes it a much more enjoyable and cracking piece to watch.
All four actors deserve credit but it is only male actor, the impressive Jay Podmore, in the troupe who stole the show with his stand out performance as the newly installed male stripper who turns up and doesn’t just save the day but brings the three girls somehow closer together. Keep an eye out for all five people in this show, the writer and the actors. They are all going somewhere.
An excellently written play, superbly acted and a genuinely interesting idea which deserves highlighting as a fundamental part of new and off the wall theatre!
Ian D. Hall