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Emotional tale of faded youth Ladies in Lavender Malvern Festival Theatre ***** BASED on the
short story by William J Locke, which was made into a film in 2004
starring Judi Dench and Maggie Smith,
Ladies in Lavender
is set in 1930's Cornwall. Two spinster sisters find a young man washed up
on the beach near their house and bring him home to nurse him back to
health. The sisters, Ursula and Janet Widdington are
played by Hayley Mills and Belinda Lang who have an impressive portfolio
of film, theatre and TV work behind them. The women have lived an increasingly quiet and
sheltered existence but the arrival of the Polish violin-playing refugee
brings excitement and meaning to their humdrum lives, and Ursula in
particular finds herself drawn to the stranger. Despite the age difference we watch as she falls
in love with him and it is evident that she regrets the lack of romance
in her younger days. Hayley Mills is marvellous in the part and her
unrequited adoration of the boy is both touching and unsettling. Belinda Lang is equally brilliant as the more
sensible sister who, nevertheless, wants to keep the boy at their home,
and prevent a mysterious woman who has spotted his musical talent
‘stealing' him away to London to make his name as a musician. Tension arises between the two sisters: Janet
recalling the lost love of her youth, Peter, who died in the Great War,
and Ursula somewhat curious and jealous at never having had a romantic
relationship of her own. Observing all this is their housekeeper Dorcas
(Carol Macready, who was nominated as best Supporting Actress for her
role in Enjoy in the West End). Macready is perfectly cast as a
salt- of- the- earth Cornish woman who sees the sisters' dull world
turned upside down. She adds humour to the piece with her pithy put
downs to all and sundry. Liz Ascroft has designed a marvellous
set, allowing us scenes both upstairs and downstairs in the
cottage, in the garden, and down on the beach. The second half of the play is particularly
touching. Indeed Hayley Mills was in tears in the final scene.
Superb acting from Lang and Mills and a genuinely moving play. At
Malvern to 26-05-12 Clare Trow
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