Life-affirming comedy Ladies’ Day is taking to the stage of the Bolton Octagon for an entire month - starting tomorrow (March 8). Written by Amanda Whittington, the play is an uplifting co-production with Staffordshire’s New Vic Theatre - and we got to see it ahead of its Manchester run.
A heart-warming story of female friendship, Ladies’ Day sees friends Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda spend their days filleting fish and talking about life, love and last night’s tea in the factory where they work.
And with the world weighing heavy on their shoulders, the foursome are due a day off, not least to celebrate Pearl’s retirement.
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So when Royal Ascot relocates to York for a year, the ladies seize the chance to swap their overalls for fancy hats and head off for a day of fizz, flirting and fun. But with high aspirations and fraying tempers, as the racing begins and they place their bets, will they win big, or will their luck fall at the final hurdle?
Directed by Marieke Audsley, we’re introduced to the women wearing yellow wellies, white aprons, hair nets and marigolds as trays of fish roll down a conveyor waiting to be picked, weighed and packed. Underneath the white coats, we catch a glimpse of their personalities as they share jokes and stories as colleagues.
When manager Joe says the girls can all have the day off to go to the Ascot, the hairnets and jackets are whipped off to reveal glamorous dresses paired with heels, ditching the stark white walls of the factory for the technicolour tracks of the races.
The script is a barrel of laughs, filled with noughties pop culture quips about Robbie Williams, Blue and Peter Kay - the latter sure to go down a treat in Bolton. These relatable references continue throughout the show after Amanda updated the play for 2023, the present-day parallels not at all lost on the audience.
The female-led production has been wonderfully cast, including Tanya-Loretta Dee - who has been in Eastenders and Peaky Blinders - playing Jan, Jo Patmore as Tony Christie fan, Linda, Kate Wood, who has appeared in Coronation Street, and Annie Kirkman as Shelley.
The only male actor in the whole show is accent expert Gareth Cassidy, who plays no fewer than six characters throughout and has the audience howling with laughter.
Ladies’ Day Director Marieke Audsley said: “I am delighted to be directing Amanda Whittington's wonderful play, Ladies' Day. It's such a fun, funny, heart-warming show, which tells the story of four fabulous friends. I very much hope that audiences will love meeting and being entertained by these brilliant women.”
Wonderfully witty and full of drama, this fantastic and funny show will be at the Bolton Octagon until April 1, and is odds on to be a Greater Manchester favourite. Tickets are priced from £15 and are available here.
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