Three in a Bed
Tommy Kearney is a scouser in exile, albeit voluntary exile, having moved to “That London” some 12 years ago. As a playwright, however, Tommy never forgot his roots. Many of his writings have been about scousers and several about people who, like himself, have moved away from Merseyside in search of fame and fortune in the affluent south.
Whether the grass really is greener south of the Watford Gap, however, is a debate for another place and another time.
Hitherto, Tommy’s play have been performed mainly in and around London and it was with great pleasure that we went to review the premier of his latest offering back on his home turf.
It pleased us even more to learn that he had chosen one of our favourite comedy/character actors, Lynne Fitzgerald for the solo role.
Lynne is no stranger to portraying several different characters during the course of one performance. We saw her undertake this admirably in Cartwright’s “Two” last year alongside Louis Emerick when between them the played no fewer than fourteen!
This week she has the stage to herself at The Liverpool Actor’s Studio narrating, relating and enacting the adventures of an Aldi checkout girl who finds herself making new friends and acquaintances when she moves south with her Londoner boyfriend. The main character finds her new life become much like her old life and she gravitates toward other “scousers in exile”, even down to joining a ladies darts team.
Holding the stage in a solo performance is far from an easy task but Lynne carries it off with such conviction, you find yourself forgetting she is the only person on stage. For as she relates the dialogue between the various characters, she not only calls upon her armoury of the many variants of the Liverpool accent (from posh to common-as-muck and everything in between) she does so with the wonderfully expressive facial contortions for which she is famous. And if that was not enough – she does the same for Laandoners in the story too!
Three in a Bed of course in the term given to the planting of three darts in the treble twenty – the highest score achievable. The other euphemistic connotations, however, of both “Three in a Bed” and the word “score” weave themselves salaciously into the plot.
This is a great little play with lots of funny moments and a twist at the end which, whilst somewhat predictable, is revealed in very funny and entertaining way.
Three in a Bed is playing at The Liverpool Actor’s Theatre in Seel Street until Saturday October 27th.
Evening performances are at 7.30pm, with a Saturday matinee at 2pm. Do get along to see it.
Tickets £12 *Buy on line now*. Box Office 0151 709 9034
