Introducing the irascible Mrs Mabel Green, a pot-smoking, joke-cracking, warm-hearted ex-diva who still uses her musical talent to cheer and support the young men and women in Basford, Nottingham who look to her for advice and a friend. On the day we meet her, she is waiting for her old band mate to arrive while helping a parade of her young charges through difficulties and trading barbs with the third member of her old group, Vivian, who drops by unexpectedly. It seems like an ordinary day, but small hints dropped throughout the play clue the audience in to a looming change. With a collection of original songs and some fun dance routines, this show is filled with bold and brash one-liners and real feeling. Sheep Soup, a group of local artists and performers, is the company behind this slice of life, and they’re brought together many talented people, including musician and actor Nic Harvey.
At the performance attended, the anticipation was palpable before the show began, which was heightened by Ben Welch‘s complete commitment to his persona: he helped take in tickets as Mrs Green, and later walked among the audience laughing and chatting, poking gentle fun at everything and offering tissues to anyone who needed them. We got to know the lead character before the show even began, and by the time Mrs Green danced her way onto the stage we felt like we were already in the presence of an old friend. Fortunately, the rest of the cast was just as impressive, each of them bouncing from comedy to drama with grace and believability, and belting out songs with a vigour that clearly energized their listeners. Shauna Shim impressed as Vivian, a supposedly shallow star who displays more depth and complexity as the story progresses without ever losing her bite, and her insult-off with her former friend had the audience chuckling gleefully. Nic Harvey in the role of Darren also deserves special mention for his live guitar skills, and for making the final scenes between him and Mrs. Green quietly poignant; such moments contrasted strongly with the banter that makes up most of the script, and deepen empathy for the characters. Mrs Green could easily have been a cardboard caricature, or become nothing more than a man in drag poking fun at batty old ladies, but the pay seems to convey a real affection for the titular character. In the cosy surroundings of the Playhouse’s Neville studio, the audience cheered, whooped, laughed along with all the personalities on show in Mrs Green, finally, rising to their feet for a standing ovation.
Sheep Soup is still a small company but one with a solid record and amazing potential; well worth supporting as they continue to develop their original material.
Mrs Green was at the Nottingham Playhouse from Thursday 2 October to Saturday 4 October 2014.
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
