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REVIEW, Get Off At Gateshead, Gala Theatre, Durham, until September 27
It's been a long time since I've been left speechless by a play.
But last night Chester-le-Street's Ian Skelton's moving masterpiece about lost love, the inevitability of ageing parents and living in the past did just that.
Get Off At Gateshead follows the story of Mark and Angela who, in the 80s, were the North East's answer to Romeo and Juliet.
The teenage sweethearts had planned to run away together, but the Gateshead girl left the Newcastle lad standing in vain under the lamps on the Tyne Bridge.
Now, years on, Mark is forced to return to the region to care for his sick dad, and he wants to rekindle some old relationships – but Angela is unsure.
With her mother, who is battling Alzheimer's disease, being cared for in an expensive home and Angela juggling her time between working at the hospital and looking after her mum, does she have time for Mark in her life?
Whether they like it or not, Mark and Angela are united by a dark secret that Angela has been carrying since she left him stranded all those years ago, but is it enough to bring them back together?
Get Off At Gateshead is an emotional roller coaster ride. One minute you're laughing, the next you're fighting back the tears.
The ending is predictable, but it doesn't matter. It's the touching and tragic journey that takes you there that keeps you hooked.
Jackie Fielding plays Angela with conviction. When she cries the audience cries with her, when she laughs we laugh too, and when tragedy strikes it hits us just as hard.
Peter Peverley puts in another stunning performance, and never before have I wanted two people to rekindle their flame as I did these two.
But the real star of the show was lost soul Rosalind Bailey, who plays Angela's mum. Bailey tackles all of the tough issues surrounding Alzheimer's with sensitivity.
And I can't forget Donald McBride who delivers a stunning show as cheeky chap Walter.
The play was made even more poignant by local singer-songwriter Katie Docherty who performed moving songs from her album Bridges as part of the show.
This is a play that warms and saddens the heart all at once – a definite must-see.
Marissa Carruthers
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Weather for Sunderland
Friday 10 February 2012
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Temperature: -3 C to 2 C
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