With this being my first time attending
the PlayHouse theatre in Cheltenham, I was unsure what to expect. The
theatre welcomed me with open arms and I was honoured to watch the dress rehearsal of the production they have been working on, ‘Mauritius’.
If I am going to be completely honest, I had never heard of the show ‘Mauritius’ before I went to see it. However, I was pleasantly surprised. As these performers were amateurs, I needed to expect that not everything was going to be perfect, but the acting skills were spot on from each performer. There were only five performers in the entire play but it was good to see each one of them have their shining moment. It was like I was watching professionals -be warned though! There is strong language throughout.
Although this play is now being shown in Cheltenham, it first started off in Broadway in 2007. On paper, a play about stamps shouldn’t work. However, the passion that the performers give to the performance made it come alive.
The play was based around half-sisters Jackie and Mary, played by Maria Marriott and Kirsten Sample, and their expensive stamp collection, which their mother left for them after she died. As you would expect from sisters, there is a lot of fighting. My favourite line from the two sisters would have to be “they are not your stamps”, [punch]. That did make me chuckle, even though I don’t think it should have.
This show allowed me to appreciate the subtle aspects of dark humour, with the impressive stunts to leave your jaw open. The director Lloyd Spencer must be congratulated.
This play is only on until Saturday the 12th November. So if you are into stamps, soap operas and family drama, this might be the play for you.
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