Touched

The most memorable show I did at School was probably Stephen Lowe's Touched. Dave Smith and Bob Hescott directed it and we toured to Texas and then to the Edinburgh fringe. It was incredibly exciting going to Edinburgh - I remember feeling like a proper actor for that week... we got a review in 'The Scotsman' which I kept for years afterwards.

• Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Touched - Rutland Theatre Co by Stephen Lowe. ‘Touched’ is a lyrical examination of the hopes and despair of Nottingham women during the closing months of World War II.

Aug 19-24 5.55pm (7.25) £3.50 (£2.50)

TOUCHED Rutland Theatre Company Richard
Edition or section: 1 Page number: 11 Word count: 198
The Scotsman 22 Aug 1991

TOUCHED Rutland Theatre Company Richard Demarco Galley SET BETWEEN VE Day and VJ Day in 1945, Stephen Lowe's play concerns a group of women in Nottingham. They have become accustomed to wartime life, but all is changing as it ends and a Labour government assumes power. They talk about a new world, symbolised at a personal level by Sandra's pregnancy. One might think that was a time for rejoicing, but the play has an atmosphere of almost unrelieved gloom.

Most of the characters seem to be in a permanent bad temper, and the actors scowl and snap. All hopes of happiness appear to be vain. The writing flows realistically and is especially impressive in the scenes between Sandra and Johnny, who wishes he could be a soldier. Directors Bob Hescott and David Smith use the acting space well, but some of the lines get lost in the echoing hall. Tiffany-Alice Perschke shows Sandra's confusion, and Sarah Harvison's Betty brings some light to the piece, but at times the acting seems to lack conviction. Ultimately, the historic wireless recordings about Belsen, the German surrender and other events of the time seem to have more immediacy than the play. Colin Affleck

• Richard Demarco Galle(r)y