Following their successful run of Ladies’ Day in 2022, Breakaway Theatre Company was excited to be returning to The Maltings Arts Theatre, St Albans with the hilarious sequel Ladies Down Under, on 13-15 and 20-22 February 2025.
This time we joined our inimitable fish packers for an adventure in Australia. This play is full of humour and fun but with added (fish) buckets full of real-life angst and pathos.
The great thing about this sequel is that the audience does not need to know the plot of the original story. So whether they were already fans of Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda, or if this was their first encounter, the writer Admanda Whittington made sure that everyone was up to speed with the “back stories” of each character.
There was plenty of wit, warmth and bewilderment as the Ladies carefully planned trip took some very unexpected and surprising turns.
Director Lesley Cowland said: “Ladies Down Under follows four women from Hull as they steer their way through life’s friendships, loves and surprises. It will bring a welcome ‘hug’ of Australian warmth and laughter to a UK winter. It has been a joy to reunite some of the cast from our NODA award-winning Wildest Dreams (2024) in this somewhat lighter comedy”.
Photo credit: Ilka Antippa
(This amateur production of Ladies Down Under was presented by arrangement with Nick Hern Books.)
REVIEWS
NODA: “The comedy was integrated well and delivered with panache by the cast, without making it too obvious that it was there, so some of the best lines were unexpected.”
St Albans Times: “I must commend director Lesley Cowland for creating such an authentic atmosphere.” “The actors were a great team of six.”