On a cold and wet Manchester evening we were taken on a trip down memory lane and only down the road to 1950s Salford. A hard working class place not for the faint hearted. The play begins with a beautiful and haunting jazz rendition of; The Pogues “Dirty Old Town” by the talented Nishla Smith. This would be a constant theme in the play which added a raw, ghost like character who would often sit in scenes and watch over the characters.

Our two leading ladies enter the stage in unison, going at each other like only a mother and daughter can, straight away i knew we were in for a great evening. Jill Halfpenny plays Helen and is superb, an established actor who’s presence and comedy timing is flawless throughout. Whether it was her complaining about her characters cold and wanting a drink in most scenes or equally her put downs of her daughter Jo.

Jo played by the sensational Rowan Robinson maybe small in stature but who performance was huge. I was always told the best things come in small packages and this was prime example. Jo character is a pocket rocket, i feel Rowan is one of the UK’s next big talents. Her back and forth with her mother Helen set the tone for the rest of the play. Her constant jibes about her age and how terrible of a mother she is were funny yet so sad. Their unconventional relationship was at times comedy gold, assassinating each others characters, in a brutal and honest way yet endearing.

If it was a boxing match it would of been a draw as both Helen and Jo landed significant blows and had the audience in stitches throughout the opening scene. Enter Peter Helens new love interest played by Andrew Sheridan. He set the tone that he was here to take Helen away from this hell hole, offering to take her out and later to marry her. I really enjoyed his scene with Jo where she finds pictures of his other lovers in his wallet and has no remorse.

Jo is alone but not for long as she finds solace in her new boy friend Jimmie the nurse from the navy. One of the rare occasions we see Jo truly happy, young love at its finest they are both smitten. Jimmie asks her to marry him and she agrees but to keep it a secret out of fear of Helens rathe. Wedding bells ring for Helen and Peter they get married and head off in to the sunset on their honeymoon. Leaving Jo and Jimmie to take their relationship to the next level.

Act 2 starts with a funfair theme as we see the happy couples surrounded by bright and beautiful lighting design by Simisola Majekodunmi. It was a highlight for me as the stage was minimal and had to be to show the poverty in the flat; with just a simple bed, table and sofa.

Jo is pregnant and is hand In hand with a new character Geoffrey played by David Moorst. A young art student who has become friendly with Jo and as she calls him her “Big sister”.

Geoffrey brings a real fun and fragile character to the mix. The whole audience was in stitches watching Moorst dancing with the mop. His character is clearly struggling dealing with his place in society. He’s confused about his sexuality, also looking after Jo who is on her own and heavily pregnant. Jo and Geoff make a great team and even though they argue like cat and mouse, they are best mates and love each other.

The next few scenes are brutal and the harsh reality of having a baby dawns on Jo . Helen and Peter comeback to the flat and ridicule her. Peter storms out screaming at Helen to follow, she does with her tail between her legs. Her taste for the finer things in life; the big house and money has made her forget the gutter. Helen does comeback to take care of Jo and to get rid of Geoff, we finally believe she is going be the mother Jo needs.

Sadly it’s not the case as once she finds out her grandchild will be black, she does what she always does, runs away to the pub for a drink.

The last scene is beautifully sad and sums up the play perfectly with a duo by Nishla and Rowan. I thoroughly enjoyed the play, themes are still poignant today; toxic relationships, race and poverty. I thought the cast and crew did an excellent job to take us back to a world that seems so long ago yet still is prevalent today.

I thought that cast were superb and it’s great to see some talented northern performers in a classic Northern play.

⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️