REVIEW, Get Off At Gateshead, Gala Theatre, Durham,
until September 27
Published Date: 19 September 2008
It's been a long time since I've been left speechless
by a play.
But last night Chester-le-Street's Ian Skelton's moving
masterpiece about lost love, the inevitability of ageing
parents and living in the past did just that.
Get Off At Gateshead follows the story of Mark and
Angela who, in the 80s, were the North East's answer
to Romeo and Juliet.
The teenage sweethearts had planned to run away together,
but the Gateshead girl left the Newcastle lad standing
in vain under the lamps on the Tyne Bridge.
Now, years on, Mark is forced to return to the region
to care for his sick dad, and he wants to rekindle some
old relationships – but Angela is unsure.
With her mother, who is battling Alzheimer's disease,
being cared for in an expensive home and Angela juggling
her time between working at the hospital and looking
after her mum, does she have time for Mark in her life?
Whether they like it or not, Mark and Angela are united
by a dark secret that Angela has been carrying since
she left him stranded all those years ago, but is it
enough to bring them back together?
Get Off At Gateshead is an emotional roller coaster
ride. One minute you're laughing, the next you're fighting
back the tears.
The ending is predictable, but it doesn't matter. It's
the touching and tragic journey that takes you there
that keeps you hooked.
Jackie Fielding plays Angela with conviction. When
she cries the audience cries with her, when she laughs
we laugh too, and when tragedy strikes it hits us just
as hard.
Peter Peverley puts in another stunning performance,
and never before have I wanted two people to rekindle
their flame as I did these two.
But the real star of the show was lost soul Rosalind
Bailey, who plays Angela's mum. Bailey tackles all of
the tough issues surrounding Alzheimer's with sensitivity.
And I can't forget Donald McBride who delivers a stunning
show as cheeky chap Walter.
The play was made even more poignant by local singer-songwriter
Katie Docherty who performed moving songs from her album
Bridges as part of the show.
This is a play that warms and saddens the heart all
at once – a definite must-see.
Sunderland Echo
