Film & Theatre, Reviews | Posted on October 24th, 2025 | return to news

Ladies’ Day

Poole and Parkstone Productions, The Spire, Poole

Review by Sarah Graham

‘Ladies’ Day’, written by Amanda Whittington, has been expertly recreated by Poole and Parkstone Productions (P&P) at the atmospheric venue of The Spire on Poole High Street. P&P are celebrating their 20th year, having performed many plays at a variety of locations around Dorset.

I had the joy of attending on Thursday evening alongside my mum – a proper ladies’ day (well, evening!), with our glasses of nozeco and raffle ticket in hand. Perfectly directed by Genette Churchill, the play follows four main characters, Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda, as they go on a life-affirming ride through friendship and resilience.

It starts out in a fish plant in Hull, where you feel as if you are overhearing general workplace chatter. But I was soon hooked on each of their stories, desperate for the interval to end so that I could hear more of each of their tales. The play is heartfelt, funny and compels you to make the most of every opportunity life throws at you.

The four ladies in the cast were fantastic. Deanna Landford brought real emotion to her character, Pearl, bringing both me and mum close to tears in her big scene in Act 2. Catherine Attridge plays Jan, who as a fellow mum I truly felt for. Her ability to portray herself as intoxicated in Act 2 was so believable, and Catherine’s range as an actor was very impressive. Clare I’Anson brought the bawdy, enthusiastic character of Shelley to life, expertly delivering comic lines throughout. Again, her ability to bring real emotion to the role kept us hooked the whole way through. The final lady, Linda, was played by Kelly-Anne Singleton who portrayed this innocent, bubbly character excellently. You can feel the pain through the smile, and her singing was pretty good too!

The ladies’ performances were supported by Tim Berry (as Fred, Patrick and Kevin); Steve Moore (as Joe and Jim) and Angus Maule (as Barry). Each of them performed brilliantly, bringing a big range to each of their roles; it truly felt that each of the characters were completely different people, with Tim playing another very convincing drunk as Kevin.

As well as the phenomenal actors, the set changes and stagehands were cleverly integrated into the play. The simple yet clever costumes, and how the actors changed into them, made what can be awkward scene transitions funny and entertaining.

I strongly recommend you go and see this play, which is on again at 7.30pm tonight and 2:30pm and 7:30pm on Saturday. Book your tickets here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/pandp/ladies-day/e-lkoaym.

If you can’t make it this time, keep an eye out for P&P’s future plays; this is a talented group who are not to be missed!