BY The Waters of Liverpool has finally made it to Darlington
Hippodrome, after being cancelled for obvious reasons in 2020. Based on Helen
Forrester’s books, they follow her own life in an autobiographical style.
This story follows Helen’s teenage years through the start
of the 2nd World War. The first act takes us through the miserable
time she is having. She’s not treated as fairly as other siblings in the family,
her mother, Lynn Francis, is appalling to Helen, her father, Tom Roberts, financially
ruined the family losing it all in the 1929 crash. Eventually she does persuade
her family to allow her to go to work, ironically working for a charity helping
those in need.
As the bombs start to fall, everything starts to change in
the 2nd act for Helen, where in the first act she had a miserable
exitance, now there is a glimmer of hope. Her mother begins to show her equally
amongst her siblings. She starts to go out dancing, meeting friends and
eventually meeting Harry, Joe Gill. Here she finds her first romance where her future
is looking promising.
The characters throughout are larger than life resulting in
some being over the top. Though the narration to the audience drives the story
forward it means the performances often becomes static. Emma Mulligan as Helen,
is incredibly strong in her performance, surrounded by a versatile cast.
Runs until Saturday 30th September at Darlington
Hippodrome.
