A touching day out

Willy Russell's musical play Our Day Out celebrates the joys, but mostly agonies, of growing up for a group of youngsters from inner city Liverpool.

It follows Mrs Kay's 'Progress Class' as they embark on a day trip to Conway Castle and, these being the troubled kids not actually expected to make any progress, of course all does not run smoothly for the four besieged teachers accompanying them.

Sympathetic Mrs Kay may appear to be the 'liberal' teacher, but really she is just pragmatic about bleak future ahead of her class and just wants them to be able to enjoy a fun and memorable day out.

Her trip is highjacked by the severe Miss Briggs who believes structure and 'education' is what the kids really need and there is plenty of conflict and emotion as the results of their differing approaches play out.

Rebecca Whaley and Jodie Glover are both good young actresses, perfectly cast in their respective roles with strong vocal and acting performances.

Indeed there were plenty of meaty roles for the cast. Particular standouts included the terrible twosome of Digga and Reilly, Hugh Ramsden and Alfie Payne, who clearly had a great time as two of the more trouble-making teenagers.

Cleo Nester confidently sang as Linda, a girl who falls in love with sir, while Rose Cheyne and Leila Whitney were especially memorable, and funny, as two girls who found everything 'boring'.

There was emotion and vulnerability too, especially from Sasha Remnant as Carol, a girl who desperately does not want to make the trip back to an unhappy home.

Performed in the round, this proved a big challenge for the young cast who did well to stay in character while being scrutinised from all four sides of the auditorium. At times it meant they struggled to be heard on all sides, but by the second half they had pretty much got to grips with the technicalities.

The simple but effective set, consisted solely of a number of black boxes stacked and moved around the floor by the cast to create a coach, zoo, castle, cliff and fun fair, and required just a little imagination from the audience.

The characterisations were energetic and convincing and reminiscent of pupils everyone will remember from their schooldays.

Overall Our Day Out was a likeable and touching, yet fun and feisty show from the hardworking youngsters from the Bridport Operatic Workshop and was a fine last outing for director Miles Bell who has stepped down after five years at the helm.

CAST: Rebecca Whaley, Jodie Glover, Vickie Welch, Joseph Grew-McEvoy, Dot Drayton, Sasha Remnant, Hugh Ramsden, Alfie Payne, Cleo Nester, Alice Tuck, Rose Cheyne, Leila Whitney, George Denning, Calum Hughes, Holly Bradberry, George Mansfield, Lizzie Blake, Anna Brown, Jade Fishlock, Jasmine Mather, Kelly Turner, Hannah Whaley.