Once again, Te Puke Repertory delivers! Imagine you are visiting someone dear in a rest home. You find yourself in the company of senior citizens who have earned the right to no longer worry about the world around them, let alone whether they need to fight to keep a roof over their heads.

How will your nan or your mum react to the news that their home is being forced to close? The four feisty residents of Beach Haven Rest Home don’t know how they’ll fight for justice, but fight they will. This is their home. They have nowhere else to go.

Their ideas come thick and fast but are swiftly rejected. Such fundraising will take too long. Closure is imminent. Blue-sky thinking is required. Blue-sky thinking yields hilarious results.

Meet residents Angela (Di Leach), Ivy (Bridget Maher), Pauline (Viv Brownrigg) and Rose (Elizabeth Rose), four elderly ladies, very different from each other but each character bringing her own life experience to the situation.

Convincing portrayal

Audiences will be pleased to see Di Leach again, after a seven-year absence, showing she has lost nothing of her flair for immersing herself in a role, this time of a sharp-minded, ex-accountant who is widowed and childless.

Seasoned actress Bridget Maher has crafted a convincing portrayal of the caring yet sarcastic Ivy, the resident “from the other side of the tracks”. Her dialect, stance and movement bring substance to her character and she delivers Ivy’s quick-witted barbs with aplomb. Returning to the Litt Park Theatre after a short absence, Viv Brownrigg sets the stage alight with her scintillating performance as the pretentious, flamboyant divorcee, Pauline.

Wins hearts

But it is Elizabeth Rose who wins our hearts as she quietly presents the life of a quintessential old lady: kind, innocent, slightly forgetful Rose. Which one will save the day?

The principal players are ably supported by eight others. Carla Wilton is Sarah, the kind but rather naïve owner of Beach Haven. Carla has truly blossomed in this key role. Dick Brown has stepped confidently into Councillor Leonard’s shoes, so convincing is his portrayal of this officious, odious, would-be suitor to Sarah, who nevertheless is on a mission to shut down her business. The panache with which Nic Reid gleefully portrays debonair TV celebrity Phillip Dinkle brightens the stage as he brings hope to the desperate residents in their hour of need.

Three actors are playing two roles each, a challenge overcome with flair. American-born Owen Force gives fine cameo performances, both as a stereotypical Irish priest with a lovely brogue, and a pompous mayor with elegant English diction. Appearing in her first major production, Mollie Wilton skilfully portrays the contrasting roles of Carla, the home’s exuberant and energetic yoga teacher, and the world-weary, efficient TV producer, Pip.

Promising young actors

Hamish Avery gives very creditable performances as the greasy local reporter, Glen, and the lonely, vulnerable widower, Jack, very different roles which he executes well.

Finally, promising young actors, Amber Gleeson (as Ivy’s affectionate granddaughter) and Harrison Matthews, play Kirsty and her boyfriend, Tim. Amber was Wal’s delightful niece, Pongo, in Footrot Flats but this is Harrison’s debut on the Te Puke Repertory stage. ​

As always, this production is brought to life through the efforts of an enthusiastic and talented crew: the bright, sunny day peeping through the window; that cosy, authentic rest home lounge where the ladies spend much of their time, each with her own chair carefully draped in a shawl or rug that reflects its owner; the numerous props to authenticate the setting or be used by the characters, all of them found (and sometimes even created) by a resourceful team; the costumes; the music; the lighting and sound effects.

Swan song for director

It takes a dedicated team to produce a successful show. Take a bow, every one of you!

This hilarious but thought-provoking comedy is a triumphant swan song for director and master craftsman Michael Jones, whose expertise in theatre is equalled only by his great love of it. The season is already booked out, a notable tribute to Michael and his assistant Pam Chapman.