Grange Players
Grange Playhouse Walsall

IT STARTED WITH A KISS

AN uneasy silence in the audience during the early exchanges of John Godber's play makes you wonder if this was a good choice for the more mature regular followers of the players.

It is certainly rather hard going at first as the action focuses on five students setting out on a drama teaching course at a northern college in the late seventies when drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll were more popular than the official studies.

The youngsters are seen lighting up to smoke dope and arranging to meet for a bit of sexual activity, but the rock 'n' roll is limited to pony-tailed Stan (Andrew Jones) having a couple of very brief strums on his guitar.

A couple of people who left the theatre at the interval on opening night missed some of the better moments of the play in the second act when relationships between the students begin to develop. And the comment that two people had landed jobs with the RSC,,,,quickly corrected to 'the RAC'.

Earlier one of the highlights is watching the speed and dexterity with which back stage staff transform the set from the men's dormitory to the college theatre for a play rehearsal which is intended to be funny.

Joseph Hicklin impresses as Richard, a lad from a working class background who manages to become an item with posh Charlotte (Zoe Maisie) and there are sound performances from Aimee Hall (Helen) and Stephanie Quance (Tina), while Samantha Camp copes well as posy college tutor, Babe, with the aggravating habit of waving her arms about and repeatedly saying 'thingy'.

It Started with a Kiss, directed by Tomos Frater, ends on Saturday November 14.

VERDICT: * *

PAUL MARSTON