Taylorian

DRAMA

Director Cheryl Clarke injects this nostalgic play with freshness and vitality that belies its vintage. Mr Briggs and Mrs Kay end up with a mutual respect that is uplifting, but the play ends on a downbeat note. We realise that for most of the children their day out will be as good as it gets and – as acknowledged by Reilly – what awaits them on their return is a future filled with futility and failure. This is a big, young cast and a lot of work has gone into managing tech and traffic, so special mention to Charlie Jolliff, Lu’ay Ben Alaya, Thomas Baldwin, Aaron Scott, Samuel Harwood, Chatiya Jain, Peter Brown and to Rien Dattani for keeping things moving as proficiently as the school coach that dominated the stage, and which took us all on a very entertaining journey.

production: Sami Murad, Rishi Kanuga, Hassan Faisal, Dylan Mehta – we look forward to seeing them again on stage soon. Much of the cast accentuate the play’s humour, including Veer Patel’s worldly lollipop man; Eliyaan Jamal’s persistent Kevin; Ryan Sabour as a brave chap who stands up to the intimidating Reilly; and Nicholas Detre’s unfortunate Andrews, who is the fall guy for the older boys’ crimes and misdemeanours. But there are moments of poignancy, also, including Pierce McClaran’s thoughtful Ronson, and the always memorable Monty Halkerston, who as the heartbreaking Carol, breathes the crisp, free air of Conwy and refuses to return to her miserable life in Liverpool.