Review: New Plymouth Little Theatre’s The Golding Girls brings out the laughing matter in lockdown

Kerryn Smith (left), Alex Sheehan, Briar Tucker and Mary Barron brought plenty of energy to the stage in The Golding Girls. Photo / Supplied

Take one cantankerous loner looking forward to spending lockdown alone with her many bars of chocolate, add three unwanted visitors and what do you get?

When this scenario comes from the pen of talented Taranaki-based playwright Shona M Wilson and is brought to life by a fantastic cast and backstage team at New Plymouth Little Theatre, you get a couple of hours of pure entertainment and a decent ab workout from all the laughter.

The Golding Girls premiered at New Plymouth Little Theatre last night and wise theatre groups will be quick to get in line for the performing rights to this laugh-a-minute comedy. Shona was the director of this premiere production of The Golding Girls as well as the playwright, and under her skilful direction the cast set a very high bar for any future actors playing the roles.

Mary Barron’s portrayal of Alice Golding, the grumpy loner who just wants to be left alone was beautifully nuanced. She gave Alice real depth throughout, making the scene where Alice’s attitude to the others changes convincing and natural in feel.

Mary is a talented actress, who knows exactly how to keep an audience in the palm of her hand throughout a show. Her facial expressions and grimaces told whole stories without any words, and her comedic timing was perfect throughout.

The role of Hannah Golding could have been written for Alex Sheehan, so well did she fit it. Alex’s skills as an actress are constantly developing and she is a thoughtful performer who has really come into her own in this play.

Despite having some of the very best sarcastic lines in this play, Alex made sure Hannah didn’t come off as a snippy, sharp-tongued unlikeable character, instead drawing out a softer side to the lovelorn and lost daughter-in-law who needs a place to stay.

She was the perfect foil for Mary’s Alice and the exchanges between the two of them made for some of the best parts of the play, acting-wise.

Kerryn Smith was also well-cast in the role of Donna Golding, and really owned the stage whenever she was on it. Kerryn’s Donna was the sort of friend everyone wants in their life, and she did a fantastic job of really bringing the character to life. Her movement, mannerisms and tone were all spot-on throughout.

Kerryn is a talented actor who is an asset to any production thanks to her ability to really delve into her character and give them real depth and likeability on stage.

Briar Tucker plays Florence Golding, a quirky, happy-go-lucky woman who could easily be quite a one-dimensional character if a less talented actor took on the role.

With Briar donning the pyjamas and reindeer antlers of Florence however, there is no risk of that. Instead, the audience is treated to some fantastic comedy every time Florence appears on stage.

The set design and build were very well thought out and executed. It was immediately clear where we were, and what we were seeing.

Simple changes between scenes nicely showed the passage of time, while the lighting team did a fantastic job of moving the scene through daytime and nighttime as well as from a house to a stage.

The sound team were faultless, with ringing phones, Covid announcements tinny music from a laptop all perfectly captured.

The wardrobe department also flexed their creative muscle in this show, capturing the lockdown couture of pyjamas and comfy track pants brilliantly, before throwing some sparkly line-dancing friendly lurex into the mix.

Well-known local actor Bryan Vickery makes the most of his cameo in this show, lifting the final scene up nicely.

Talking of line dancing, choreographer April Krijger really showed off her skill in this show, and the result was funny, fast and well-executed by all.

Overall this show is packed with talent, from the playwright and cast to the backstage crew. There isn’t a single weak spot in the show and while it’s to be hoped Covid Lockdowns are soon a distant memory, this play will stay with you long after the final scoot, brush or kick of the line dancing.