Till the Stars Come Down at Bromley Little Theatre on 7th November

Where to start! This play covers so much in spite of the fact the time span is less than 24 hours. Love, lust, racial prejudice, the problems of living and finding work in the de-industrialised former mining town of Mansfield and more. When checking with Google I was surprised to see it is set post Brexit, much later than I had thought. 

Set on the day of Sylvia’s marriage to Polish immigrant Marek, the play opens as she and her two older sisters Maggie and Hazel are getting ready, laughing and joking although there is a tinge of sadness as they are grieving their dead mother. Also with them are Hazel’s two children Leanne and Sarah. From the beginning the audience are laughing out loud and when Aunty Carol makes an appearance we laugh even more. The hilarious one liners come thick and fast, some extremely near the mark. By the time we get to the reception cracks are showing in the family’s love for each other. Tony, the girls’ father who seems lost and sad without his wife, is alienated from brother Pete (Carol’s husband) because one agreed with striking and the other crossed the picket line during the miners’ strike and John, Hazel’s husband, secretly lusts after Maggie, who reciprocates his feelings. Poor Marek seems confused with all the family drama especially when teenager Leanne accuses him of kissing her after he had shown her some comfort when she was upset and she tried to kiss him! 

There are some large and dynamic characters in this play and Pauline Armour, Director, managed to pick exactly the right actor for each part.

Contributed by Pat Ward