Last night I attended a play reading at the Bilton Amateur Dramatic Society, of which I am an active member. The play we read was “Life Goes On” by Adrian Hodges. It is a thoughtful and engaging comedy which opens in the hours following the funeral of George Marlowe, who left this life unexpectedly whilst repairing his wife’s hairdrier. The caterers have mixed up the wake with a child’s birthday party and matters go downhil along with the green jelly! George’s younger brother, Michael, a would-be writer hoping to interest a Hollywood star in his latest filmscript, attempts to seduce Debbie, youngest sister of his partner Helen and of George’s widow, Joyce. During the evening Michael leaps from assignations with all three sisters until the arrival of George’s ghost puts paid to his intentions. George has been allowed back to tie up the loose ends of his life, including dealing with Michael’s philandering. George manages in different ways to bring harmony and a new sense of direction to each member of the family, proving that despite everything, life goes on.
We were joined by a prospective new member last night, which is always good news for the Society, but he is testing out several of the local societies to see where he wants to belong, so we are hoping we made a good impression!
This play will most likely be our next production in January 2010, provided we can cast it. I really hope so, as it is such an interesting and thought-provoking play, yet still has lots of humour and emotional scenes for the actors involved.
We will be meeting again next week to finalise the cast.
