Theatre preview: Perfect Days, Church Hill Theatre

ONE of the Capital’s most accomplished amateur theatre groups, Leitheatre, return to the stage next week in Liz Lochhead’s Perfect Days.

Originally written for and starring Siobhan Redmond, the piece is one of Lochhead’s earlier works. A poignant comedy about the different kinds of love affecting one woman as she goes about trying to get what she really wants, it explores romantic love, mother love and friendship.

Director Matt Mason, who teaches drama at Lasswade High School, chose the piece. Explaining why, he says, “To be honest, I thought, what’s going to get them in?

“Leitheatre gave me a remit to direct a piece of drama that says something and entertains and offers a contemporary challenging vehicle for the cast. I knew Perfect Days and had read it and seen it a few years ago and what I remembered most was laughing. Not at poor Barbs, who is trying to deal with her “dwindling supply of eggs” and the voluble protests coming from her biological clock, but mostly at the satellite characters.

“Being honest, I haven’t tried to say something profound and meaningful, but have unashamedly gone down the gags, gags, gags line, and allowed whatever comedic skills the cast had to emerge alongside their characters.”

Special mention must go to Jane Black in the pivotal role, Mason insists.

“She has put her life on hold to create Barbs and I just hope that her husband Stevie doesn’t want to stab me,” he laughs

• Perfect Days, Church Hill Theatre, Morningside Road, Wed-Sat, 7.30pm, £9, 0131-668 2019 www.thequeenshall.net