Take My Husband Please

Reporter: Colin Meredith
Date online: 12/06/2008

St Ann's Players' Spring production was the comedy "Take My Husbands Please" by Terry Harper. The audience were introduced to a madcap morning in the life of best selling novelist India Kershaw played with great conviction by Judith Mansfield.

India has just returned from holiday taken to aid the recovery from her second divorce. She is well supported by Barbara Fielden who plays her aunt and housekeeper Hannah.

As the comedy unfolds India is confronted in turn by her two ex-husbands. Justin Thornton is the first to arrive played by Dave Stopford and we soon find he is being unfaithful to his new wife Denise played by Joanne Frost. We then meet Indias hypochondriac literary agent, Celeste Conway who arrives to say she has fallen madly in love. India is mortified when she discovers Celestes new lover is her ex husband Justin which further complicates life.

We then meet the second ex husband Alastair McKay played by the kilted Peter Dignam who discloses that he has fallen back in love with India. His new wife Susan played by Christine Simpson arrives on the scene searching for him and ends up attempting to strangle India.

A St Anns production would not be complete without an eccentric performance from Andy McKay playing screen writer Myles Fanshawe-Smythe, who happens to be adapting one of India's novels. His recurring appearance accentuates the general mayhem into which the morning deteriorates. There are once again faultless performances from all the cast but the energy levels were at their best when Celeste and Denise were wrangling over Justin. India manages to survive intact until lunchtime in this fast paced farcical comedy.

Take My Husbands Please by Terry Harper
St Ann's Players
Saturday 28 April 2007