York Theatre Royal – 13 April 2017. Reviewed by Marcus Richardson
September In The Rain is a play written by the Yorkshire born playwright John Godber famous for his comedies such as Bouncers.
The play features a couple who goes to Blackpool every year in September. Set over the past 40 years of their lives we see their journey as a couple and how it grows with conflict and love. The whole play is a dialogue between the couple and is very character heavy, which puts a lot on the actors.
Una McNulty played Liz, a woman who loves to travel by bus and loves getting a tan at Blackpool, chirpy she holds most of the dialogue with her telling stories and often getting carried away. Coming from Yorkshire, just like her creator she is both funny and independent.
Mark Stratton played Jack a pit worker and very traditional Yorkshire man, a person of few words and when he does speak it will often be with authority and just one word mainly being ‘eye’. Their relationship on stage is key to creating an amazing performance and the whole structure depends on it. The two work so well together on stage, in creating the believable bond as we watch through some arguments and the sweeter parts where we fall in love with their story.
My favourite part of the whole entire play was when McNulty pretended to be her daughter when she was young, doing a talent contest in Blackpool. This was both hilarious and sweet to watch as it just mirrored what so many children do on stage and when they do talent contests. Stratton added to the comedy here saying she was absolutely amazing and shedding a tear.
The stage was rather simple with the barrier to the beach acting as the backdrop, I loved the simplicity of this as it gave the actors a lot of room to set the story and focus more on their acting rather than the performance space. There were fairy lights that also lit up the stage in certain scenes, these looked aesthetically pleasing – making some scenes feel much more pleasant to watch. The music also played a key part in the play as the song September in the Rain plays a big part in the story and a lot of music perfectly set the scene.
The play is pleasant to watch and you can sit back and relax, have the frequent chuckle at the jokes, you don’t need to get too involved with the story and it’s a rather enjoyable night out to the theatre. If you have a night off and fancy a simple pleasant play go and see this