THE ANNIVERSARY (2007)

I’m posting this today, Thursday 30th April, because this would have been our opening night for FlatSpin. It is now many weeks since we stopped rehearsals and postponed the play to a future date. It means the only collective drama event for us this week will be our regular online Zoom -based Quiz Night.

Meanwhile, another delve into the archives from plays prior to our website presence. This week we take a look at THE ANNIVERSARY by Bill Macilwraith.

The Anniversary was produced by Richard Bateman in January 2007. It is a black comedy first performed in 1966 from which a film was made in 1968 starring Bette Davis and Sheila Hancock.

Synopsis: Mrs. Taggart is an emasculating woman whose husband, a successful building contractor, has been dead for ten years. Joining her for the traditional annual celebration of her wedding anniversary are her three sons: eldest Henry is a transvestite; middle son Terry is planning to emigrate to Canada with his shrewish wife Karen and their five children; and youngest Tom, a promiscuous philanderer whose many past relationships have ended at his mother’s insistence, arrives with his pregnant girlfriend Shirley in town. Throughout the day and evening, the domineering, evil, vindictive, manipulative matriarch does everything in her power to remind her children who controls the family finances and ultimately their futures.

Scroll through the gallery below to see a selection from the images from the production.

Until the next one, stay safe folks.

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