REVIEW
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch
Maggie May – an inspiring play about love, hope & living with dementia
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch
Maggie May – an inspiring play about love, hope & living with dementia
The Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch is on a high at the moment. It has just been awarded Grade II status as a listed building as part of the 70th Anniversary celebrations for Her Majesty The Queen’s Coronation.
After a highly successful season of in-house productions the theatre is now, for one week only, presenting a brand new play, Maggie May by Frances Poet as part of a collaboration with Leicester Curve Theatre and Leeds Playhouse.
Maggie May has a difficult subject at its heart: what happens to a family when one of them is diagnosed with Alzheimers. It is the culmination of at least three years of research and conversations with dementia sufferers. The play was originally set to open in March 2020 and indeed played for three performances before being closed by the pandemic, when all theatres were shut down, and has waited until now to be presented again.
As the lights come up, we meet Maggie and Gordon, a couple in their sixties. Maggie has been woken by Gordon’s snoring, or ‘snorting’ as she puts it. He is recovering from a stroke, and is being looked after by Maggie.. She is writing notes to herself obsessively to help her recall what tasks she needs to do, as she is struggling to remember things independently.
Blue Post-It notes gently fall from a huge note board suspended high over the stage on Francis O’Connor’s high tech, versatile set. Every now and again, a few of them flutter down like autumn leaves. This effect is beautifully captured by Chris Davey’s lighting, which brings so much atmosphere to the production.
On this particular day, their son Michael is coming for his birthday lunch, with new girlfriend Claire. Maggie is cooking his favourite meal, but things are not going smoothly as she is finding it difficult to remember how to prepare the food, despite having made this recipe on many previous occasions. Gordon, aware that Maggie becomes stressed under pressure, sings to her to calm her down. Music always seems to be the key to bringing her peace, and so we hear many famous songs from the seventies and eighties, which punctuate the play like a soundtrack of their lives. It is a well known fact that music can bring a response from even advanced dementia sufferers, as it can trigger a response when everything else has failed.
Inevitably, the truth comes out, as Maggie is forced to break the news to her son that she has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimers. This is heartrending enough, but the reaction of her son is quite a shock. He cannot handle this news at all and storms out.
It is obvious that the writer, Frances Poet, has created a very typical story here, and that this family represents the lives of so many people living with this condition. The play is quite hard to watch at times, but it is also very funny and compassionate.
Maggie is brave, feisty and funny. She has a great sense of humour, and survival, and does not want to be treated differently to anyone else. To this effect, she is gloriously played here by Eithne Browne, a Liverpool based actor, who has had a long career playing many other landmark roles including Shirley Valentine, Mrs Johnson (Blood Brothers) and Rita (Educating Rita) by Willy Russell. She takes on the role of Maggie with great vigour, warmth and winning charm, and is almost never off stage. Her performance covers every mood and emotion as Maggie’s condition progresses. It is an award winning performance indeed.
There is tremendous support from Tony Timberlake as Gordon, her ever supportive and loving husband. When they sing and dance to yet another song, the love between them is palpable.
Likewise, Maxine Finch puts in a very strong and hilarious performance as Maggie’s best friend Jo. Mark Holgate also gives a powerful performance as son Michael, who struggles with the idea of his mum becoming ill, whilst Shireen Farkhoy brings great warmth to the role of Claire, his girlfriend, who hopes to become a permanent member of the family.
Maggie May is very sensitively directed by Jemima Levick. Every possible light and shade is found, and this, at times, very wordy play never drags its feet for a moment. Whilst the subject matter is not an easy one, you will leave the theatre entertained, informed and hopefully, uplifted.
I cannot recommend Maggie May highly enough.
Review: Andrew Walters
After a highly successful season of in-house productions the theatre is now, for one week only, presenting a brand new play, Maggie May by Frances Poet as part of a collaboration with Leicester Curve Theatre and Leeds Playhouse.
Maggie May has a difficult subject at its heart: what happens to a family when one of them is diagnosed with Alzheimers. It is the culmination of at least three years of research and conversations with dementia sufferers. The play was originally set to open in March 2020 and indeed played for three performances before being closed by the pandemic, when all theatres were shut down, and has waited until now to be presented again.
As the lights come up, we meet Maggie and Gordon, a couple in their sixties. Maggie has been woken by Gordon’s snoring, or ‘snorting’ as she puts it. He is recovering from a stroke, and is being looked after by Maggie.. She is writing notes to herself obsessively to help her recall what tasks she needs to do, as she is struggling to remember things independently.
Blue Post-It notes gently fall from a huge note board suspended high over the stage on Francis O’Connor’s high tech, versatile set. Every now and again, a few of them flutter down like autumn leaves. This effect is beautifully captured by Chris Davey’s lighting, which brings so much atmosphere to the production.
On this particular day, their son Michael is coming for his birthday lunch, with new girlfriend Claire. Maggie is cooking his favourite meal, but things are not going smoothly as she is finding it difficult to remember how to prepare the food, despite having made this recipe on many previous occasions. Gordon, aware that Maggie becomes stressed under pressure, sings to her to calm her down. Music always seems to be the key to bringing her peace, and so we hear many famous songs from the seventies and eighties, which punctuate the play like a soundtrack of their lives. It is a well known fact that music can bring a response from even advanced dementia sufferers, as it can trigger a response when everything else has failed.
Inevitably, the truth comes out, as Maggie is forced to break the news to her son that she has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimers. This is heartrending enough, but the reaction of her son is quite a shock. He cannot handle this news at all and storms out.
It is obvious that the writer, Frances Poet, has created a very typical story here, and that this family represents the lives of so many people living with this condition. The play is quite hard to watch at times, but it is also very funny and compassionate.
Maggie is brave, feisty and funny. She has a great sense of humour, and survival, and does not want to be treated differently to anyone else. To this effect, she is gloriously played here by Eithne Browne, a Liverpool based actor, who has had a long career playing many other landmark roles including Shirley Valentine, Mrs Johnson (Blood Brothers) and Rita (Educating Rita) by Willy Russell. She takes on the role of Maggie with great vigour, warmth and winning charm, and is almost never off stage. Her performance covers every mood and emotion as Maggie’s condition progresses. It is an award winning performance indeed.
There is tremendous support from Tony Timberlake as Gordon, her ever supportive and loving husband. When they sing and dance to yet another song, the love between them is palpable.
Likewise, Maxine Finch puts in a very strong and hilarious performance as Maggie’s best friend Jo. Mark Holgate also gives a powerful performance as son Michael, who struggles with the idea of his mum becoming ill, whilst Shireen Farkhoy brings great warmth to the role of Claire, his girlfriend, who hopes to become a permanent member of the family.
Maggie May is very sensitively directed by Jemima Levick. Every possible light and shade is found, and this, at times, very wordy play never drags its feet for a moment. Whilst the subject matter is not an easy one, you will leave the theatre entertained, informed and hopefully, uplifted.
I cannot recommend Maggie May highly enough.
Review: Andrew Walters
The play centres around Maggie, played by Eithne Browne, one of Liverpool’s most well-loved and popular actors – she’s even the voice of the Mersey Ferries. With starring roles in the original Blood Brothers in the West End, Shirley Valentine, and numerous Liverpool Royal Court Theatre productions and TV appearances on Waterloo Road, Cold Feet and as Brookside regular Chrissy Rogers, she has enjoyed a dazzling career spanning more than three decades.
Tony Timberlake, who stars as Maggie’s husband Gordon, has enjoyed a long and illustrious theatre career, including Chicago (Garrick Theatre); Hairspray (Shaftesbury Theatre); Spamalot (Palace Theatre); Singin’ in the Rain (the National Theatre); Les Miserables (Palace Theatre); and Into the Woods (Donmar Warehouse).
The five-strong Maggie May cast also includes York actor Mark Holgate (Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre; Julius Caesar, The Crucible, Sheffield; Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Tina & Bobby) as Maggie and Gordon’s son Michael; Leeds actor Shireen Farkhoy (The Ipcress File, ITV1; Silent Witness, BBC1) as Mark’s girlfriend Claire; and Maxine Finch (LIT, Nottingham Playhouse; Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, DCI Banks) as Maggie’s best friend, Jo.
The creative team includes Set & Costume Designer Francis O’Connor, Theatre and Dementia Advisor Dr Nicky Taylor, Associate Designer Alex Doidge-Green, Movement Director Joseph Mercier, Lighting Designer Chris Davey, Composer & Sound Designer Claire McKenzie, Casting Director Kay Magson and Dialect Coach Eleanor Manners.
All performances of Maggie May at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, Leeds Playhouse and Curve will be dementia-friendly, with additional staff, detailed pre-show information and a quiet space. Each venue will also host a free interactive installation – The Picture Booth – designed by Leeds Playhouse Resident Designer Warda Abbasi to amplify the experiences of people living with dementia.
Tickets cost £19 - £29 plus 65p QNext Fee. Under 26s £8. For more details and to book, visit the Theatre’s website www.queens-theatre.co.uk or call the box office team on 01708 443333.
Listings:
Playing Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch 24 – 28 May 2022
Matinees: Thu 26 May | 1.30pm & Sat 28 May | 2.30pm
https://www.queens-theatre.co.uk/whats-on/show/maggie-may-2/
Playing Curve Leicester 7 – 11 June 2022
https://www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/shows/maggie-may-2/
Tony Timberlake, who stars as Maggie’s husband Gordon, has enjoyed a long and illustrious theatre career, including Chicago (Garrick Theatre); Hairspray (Shaftesbury Theatre); Spamalot (Palace Theatre); Singin’ in the Rain (the National Theatre); Les Miserables (Palace Theatre); and Into the Woods (Donmar Warehouse).
The five-strong Maggie May cast also includes York actor Mark Holgate (Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre; Julius Caesar, The Crucible, Sheffield; Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Tina & Bobby) as Maggie and Gordon’s son Michael; Leeds actor Shireen Farkhoy (The Ipcress File, ITV1; Silent Witness, BBC1) as Mark’s girlfriend Claire; and Maxine Finch (LIT, Nottingham Playhouse; Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, DCI Banks) as Maggie’s best friend, Jo.
The creative team includes Set & Costume Designer Francis O’Connor, Theatre and Dementia Advisor Dr Nicky Taylor, Associate Designer Alex Doidge-Green, Movement Director Joseph Mercier, Lighting Designer Chris Davey, Composer & Sound Designer Claire McKenzie, Casting Director Kay Magson and Dialect Coach Eleanor Manners.
All performances of Maggie May at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, Leeds Playhouse and Curve will be dementia-friendly, with additional staff, detailed pre-show information and a quiet space. Each venue will also host a free interactive installation – The Picture Booth – designed by Leeds Playhouse Resident Designer Warda Abbasi to amplify the experiences of people living with dementia.
Tickets cost £19 - £29 plus 65p QNext Fee. Under 26s £8. For more details and to book, visit the Theatre’s website www.queens-theatre.co.uk or call the box office team on 01708 443333.
Listings:
Playing Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch 24 – 28 May 2022
Matinees: Thu 26 May | 1.30pm & Sat 28 May | 2.30pm
https://www.queens-theatre.co.uk/whats-on/show/maggie-may-2/
Playing Curve Leicester 7 – 11 June 2022
https://www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/shows/maggie-may-2/