THE WYRE LADY OF FLEETWOOD
18/02/2022 - 12/03/2022
Production Details
Lita Doolan Productions
When his Dad’s fishing loft is put on the market, Robbie is drawn back to his Fleetwood home where he is not the only sibling to have his eyes on the prize. Watch as one of Lancashire’s famous sons decides whether to continue his career or find redemption in his family’s eyes.
Follow the story from a holiday beach to a gritty fish dock, on Britain’s Fylde peninsula where a family finally finds out if the sea is their friend or foe. With the fishing industry on the decline, and the family’s fisherman’s loft left unused, can their inheritance be saved?
Performed by a thrilling Cast: Julie Broadbent, Ian McShee, Bhasker Patel, Jo Phillips-Lane, Mabel Pritchard
A critic for the Mumble Theatre website said of The Wyre Lady Of Fleetwood. “Providing something of a storytelling bonanza, it was so rich with characters that I found myself a little lost at times, but that just contributed to the fine levels of performances by all five participants.”
As the fishing industry faces its toughest hour, pleasure cruisers on the River Wyre float on by.
Written by multi-award-winning writer Lita Doolan.
Previous Work
★★★★ “unnerving quality” (Breaking the Fourth Wall)
★★★★ (Whats On Stage)
This show comes direct from its successful run at Brighton Fringe Festival.
This event will be available on demand during the festival 18 Feb – 12 Mar.
If you’d like to be the first to know when the link becomes available email boxoffice@fringe.co.nz
Content forecast: Death
Koha donation
AVAILABLE ON DEMAND FROM FRIDAY 18 FEBRUARY
6:00 PM
Book Now
written by LIta Doolan
cast
Julie Broadbent
Ian McShee
Bhasker Patel,
Jo Phillips-Lane
Mabel Pritchard
Webcast , Theatre ,
A fascinating, unique watch
Review by Emma Maguire 08th Mar 2022
The titular Wyre Lady is a pleasure-boat, and one with a long and illustrious history – history being just as lush and important in this show. Lita Doolan’s play is one of loss and families; of change, growth and recognition.
Expertly combining stills, live footage, voice-over dialogue and pieces to camera, The Wyre Lady of Fleetwood is a very unique piece of digital theatre, running at a bite-sized 35 minutes.
There is something deeply personal in the framing of a digital show such as this. Why was a piece of footage shot with a shaky hand, and why do we view single text messages rather than a full conversation? Is this the work of the editor or the work of the characters?
This subtextual narrative under the more visible one adds a further level of intricacy to this work and I find myself contemplating the nature of the piece more as I watch. Something like this is unique solely to digital works and is a very welcome aspect of theatre making to consider.
Our performers – Jo Lane, Ian McShee, Julie Broadbent, Bhasker Patel, and Mabel Pritchard – all perform well as empathic, intuitive characters and feel well entrenched in the narrative.
Although the work does its best, I do feel somewhat disconnected from the narrative – perhaps through a lack of local knowledge (?) or my personal distance from Fleetwood and the UK. I also would have wished to have seen some scenes with more than one character in the frame at a time, but I do understand the trouble of filming and creating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Wyre Lady of Fleetwood is a fascinating, unique watch, and is free currently through the New Zealand Fringe Festival.
Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer
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