Once again we are very grateful to our loyal supporters who came out despite the cold (and Storm Eowyn!) giving us capacity audiences on three out of the four nights. Thanks also to our director and assistant director, Alan Foale and Anne Mark, for the tremendous amount of work that went into this show and of course our three actors and the backstage crew whose labour of love yet again paid off to get this show ready for our audiences. The reaction of those who saw the production is typified by the following comment from our Facebook page: "Fabulous play, great performances from all three actors; fantastic scenery, not to forget the lighting, sound effects and front of house". See below for some photos, and as usual reviews will follow in due course.

Our January production was the comedy-drama A Fine Bright Day Today by Philip Goulding, directed by Alan Foale.  Set in a former fishing village on the North Yorkshire coast, it follows the lives of three people – a widow in her 50s, her grown-up daughter and a visiting American. They all carry baggage from their past but gradually find a way to break free from it and start new lives. 

As reviewed in The Guardian, this is an entirely beguiling play that “leaves you with an optimistic sense that everyone deserves a second chance at happiness, allied to a slight anxiety about whether you turned the gas off before you came out.”!

Our thanks to Alan Mark for capturing some of these images that provide a lovely reminder of this charming production.

Our thanks to Marjorie Cole for this appreciative review of the production which will appear in the magazine, Adel Bells:

Adel Players’ latest production ‘A Fine Bright Day’ written by Philip Goulding and skilfully directed by Alan Foale offered us a story which might at first sight have appeared banal and uninspiring but which turned out to be just the thing to lift our spirits after the hardships inflicted on us by the bitter cold weather of January. It showed us, through the opportunity of a new life being offered to Margaret, that things can get better if we are prepared to adapt.

The setting of a Yorkshire fishing village was bound to appeal to an audience who are very familiar with the Yorkshire coastline. Praise is due to Adel Players for taking on a play with only three actors; it could have been really challenging, but they took it all in their stride. Helen Law’s facial expressions conveyed much of Margaret’s torment as her argumentative daughter Rebecca, played proficiently by Hazel Walshaw, tried to persuade her that change is possible, with Margaret thinking that the mother and daughter roles have somehow strangely reversed. 

Meanwhile we all warmed to the charming enthusiasm of Milton, played by Mike Andrews, who gave us a convincing portrait of an apparently confident American  looking for more meaning to his life. The setting, with the powerful view of the Yorkshire coast, helped us to believe that we were actually there as Milton enthused about the lure of the sea and his wish to paint it. It was a nice touch on the part of the props team that the feeling of being in Yorkshire was enhanced by the appearance of Seabrook’s crisps at their picnic!  

There was much laughter throughout, our English preoccupation with the weather causing frequent chuckles from the audience, as well as seeing the effect on Margaret of a convivial evening with copious wine.

We laughed at Margaret’s obsession with ritual and routine but we could understand her reluctance to change. The happy ending with her eventually accepting Milton’s continuing presence in her life was no surprise and resulted in us all leaving  at the end having had a gentle and heart-warming reminder that there is always hope that things will get better.

Don’t miss their next production, 23-26 April 2025: 'Separate Tables' by Terence Rattigan, directed by Beth Duce.

Marjorie Cole

And more audience reaction for A Fine Bright Day Today:

"The play was most enjoyable, a subtle study of repressed and awakening desire and sympathetically performed by actors with deep rapport. I was very glad I came".

"I really enjoyed the evening.  This play had a rare elegance to it, which is unusual.  Well done..."

"I am in awe of the three (actors)- such huge parts, without much action, so all eyes on you to keep the audience's attention. You all achieved that with spades..."