Review of Westacre Theatre’s Di and Viv and Rose: Three women with one common bond navigate their lives
A hard-hitting production took the audience back to the 80s when three women who met at university had to navigate their life-long friendship.
Di and Viv and Rose, written by Coronation Street star Amelia Bullmore, is the latest in-house play being performed at Westacre Theatre.
Directed by Matt Grist, the characters are played by Sadie Grist, Tamsin Wheeler and Becky Owen-Fisher.
The play has been performed extensively and explores themes of sexuality, rape, death and ultimately female resilience but offers humour along the way.
Set against the backdrop of university in the 1980s, the three women differ in their attitudes but ‘choose’ each other as family, living together in their university house.
The character Di, confidently out as gay at university, though her mum doesn’t seem to know, is a happy-go-lucky character before being violently raped in their home by an intruder.
Gathered up by Rose and Viv who form a protective den around her, the audience witnesses the change in character expertly shown by Tamsin Wheeler, who is a regular member of the Westacre Theatre company.
As often with live theatre productions, it opens up conversations about difficult topics such as rape - and with cases such as Gisele Pelicot in the national news - how women are still vulnerable decades on.
Outgoing Rose, who loves boys and becomes pregnant before completing her degree, is energetically portrayed by Becky Owen-Fisher.
Perhaps she is the glue that keeps the trio together, finally giving birth to twins - but her life hasn’t panned in the way she wanted it to turn out.
Sadie Grist brings wit and sarcasm to wartime Viv - whose style of dress is circa 1940s - showing that her usual infallibility is rocked later in her life when she marries a gay man with the marriage ultimately failing.
No doubt the three actors truly bonded rehearsing and performing the show which is a demanding production - running at three hours of digging deep emotionally for their performances.
They also complete all the scene changes as their lives move on.
Rose moves back to her family home to bring up her children, Viv emigrates to New York and Di meets Elaine, her partner, who supported her through her rape ordeal.
It is a hard-hitting and punchy production, with tears of joy, laughter, and sadness - and provides a lot of experiences that I could easily empathise with and understand.
Plus it has a great 80s soundtrack and though the Girls Just Want To Have Fun, they prove that Friends Will Be Friends - right ‘til the end.
Di and Viv and Rose is being performed at Westacre Theatre on Saturday, March 15, Thursday, March 20 (at 3pm only) and Saturday, March 22 with shows at 3pm and 7.30pm.
Tickets are £18 for adults and £10 for under 21.
They are available online at www.westacretheatre.com or via the Box Office on 01760 755007.
