ACT Reviews 2022-2023 Season

DI, VIV AND ROSE by Amelia Bullmore Directed by Mandy Mallinson Droylsden Little Theatre “Di, Viv and Rose” is a play which depicts the ever-changing relationship between three cohabiting friends throughout the years. Rose is a freespirited art history student who sleeps with any boy she likes the look of. Di is a sports-loving lesbian who is taking business studies; and Viv is a sociology student with a fierce work ethic. Whilst on the surface, they seem unlikely friends, this play shows how their friendship survives physical separation, varied career paths, and even mortality. The simple set designed by Tony Birch and Tracy Ireland worked very well alongside the use of a black curtain to help depict various locations throughout the years. The first scene is set in the University Halls and sees the girls bumping into each other at different times whilst using the phone to call home. This scene really set the pace for the entire production whilst helping the audience understand the dynamics within the friendship group. As we move into Mossbank, the house which the girls shared, the design was simple but as the years moved on it grew into the home the girls would learn to love. The lighting design really assisted in the depiction of the passing of time, from days to weeks to years. Unfortunately, sometimes I felt the lighting was slightly dark and this made seeing the players faces a struggle at time, but overall, the lighting worked well, even when the actors were in the den, the lighting really reflected the overall mood of the scene. The story shows how the lives of the three keep changing as time goes on. Viv invites Di and Rose to stay with her in New York for a holiday. Di now has a girlfriend, and Rose has found a man that wants to marry her and help her bring up her boys Amy Evans convincingly plays the promiscuous Art history student. She

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