New production by the Portable Theatre Company coming to Embleton, Warkworth and Rothbury
The Portable Theatre Company is bringing its new production, ‘Morning’s at Seven’ by Paul Osborn, to three villages in Northumberland.
Last year the Company was awarded the Best Drama in the North of England Award by The National Operatic and Dramatic Association and it hopes to achieve the same high standard with this year’s performances.
Set in 50’s mid-America, ‘Morning’s at Seven’ is a gently comedic play which sees family members at crossroads in their lives. Two sisters and their husbands live next door to each other: one with an unmarried sister, the other couple with their son. A fourth sister and her husband live close by.
At first, this may seem very cosy, but it soon becomes clear that relationships are strained, and tensions increase when the son brings home his very long-standing girlfriend and it seems they might marry. The sisters all have important decisions to make while their husbands also need to reassess their lives.
The Company had intended to perform the play in 2020, but Covid prevented this. However, this year the time seemed right to return to the script which, while not well-known, contains sharp dialogue and quicksilver emotional shifts to reveal a deep understanding of the human heart. It develops interesting relationships through both humorous and poignant situations as the characters face up to their various dilemmas.
Familiar faces and new Portable Theatre recruits will bring an amusing, if bittersweet, portrayal of small town America, giving audiences an insight into these interlinked relationships as each character asks, “Where am I in life?”
As usual, all profits from the bar will go to charity and there will also be collecting boxes available. This year they are supporting Action Cerebral Palsy.
Performances are at the Creighton Memorial Hall in Embleton on July 1, the Jubilee Hall in Rothbury on July 2 and Warkworth Memorial Hall on July 3-4. All 7.30pm.
Tickets, priced at £10, may be ordered by email to [email protected]
Alternatively, tickets can be bought direct from the respective village post offices for the Embleton and Warkworth performances, or from Tully’s for the Rothbury performance. Please note that the evenings are cash only.