THE SHELL SEEKERS
THIS play – put on by Centre Stage Theatre Company – was originally adapted for the stage by husband-andwife writing team Terence Brady and Charlotte Bingham, who were part of the team of writers who came up with TV show Upstairs Downstairs. They’ve taken Rosamunde Pilcher’s best-selling novel The Shell Seekers and turned it into a reflective tale of an English family whose widely differing views on life threaten to destroy their love for one another.
This is the story of Penelope Keeling (warmly portrayed by Judy Herbert), her family and the ties binding them being stretched to breaking point.
The play flits between the Second World War and 1985.
Penelope returns to her Cotswolds home to recuperate after a heart attack. Reflecting on life, she takes comfort in a painting called The Shell Seekers which was painted by her father before arthritis forced him to put down his brushes. Her three children, discovering the true value of their grandfather’s work, become a little too eager to gain their inheritance early. Penelope, however, refuses to sell the painting, preferring to enjoy the wonderful memories it triggers. A detailed family saga shifts effortlessly back and forth in time to paint the narrative of Penelope and her three children. Lucy Baker as youngest daughter Olivia, a magazine editor, seems to have her mum’s best interests at heart, or does she?
Eldest Nancy, a status-obsessed moaner, was understudied very well by Sharon Davies. Noel, played by Anthony Davies, is almost as bad as Nancy, seeing pound notes at every turn, both cajoling, and badgering their mother to cash in on their grandad’s trending value after one of his works goes up for sale at Sotheby’s. These flawed characters drive their mother to distraction to the point where she escapes back to Cornwall for a short break with her live-in aid Antonia (Jessica Sturgess), who also covered as young Penelope in the wartime scenes.
They are joined by her gardener Danus Muirfield (Jack Richardson), who also covers Richard, a Royal Marine Major beloved by young Penelope.
Artist Lawrence Stern, Penelope’s father, was played by Ian Wilson, whose interplay with young Penelope and Richard was heart-warming at times and brought a balance to the strong mother character. You could sense where her heart was happiest through her memories brought to life in well-lit scenes, almost as if you were reading from the book itself. There was a nicely dressed set and director Jean Pointon made full use of the auditorium and her cast well. The lighting was very effective.
It was a real insight into another world and another time and well worth a view. Tickets are still available on the box office for Friday and Saturday night and the Saturday matinee. Call 01538 382546.