An Odd Couple of ladies

Divorcee Olive lives in blissful chaos in her New York apartment, where she hosts regular evenings with her girlfriends, playing Trivial Pursuits.

When neurotic and suicidal Florence leaves her husband and moves in with Olive, friendships become strained.

Florence enjoys being a “domestic goddess”, bringing order into Olive’s life.

Olive retaliates by arranging a double date with two Spanish brothers in the next apartment. This leads to even more confusion!

Neil Simon’s quickfire dialogue guarantees an evening of fun. Helen Pickavance and Helen Bennett star as Olive and Florence with Georgina Gillen, Val Davies, Jan Hale, Siuzanne Gray, Lee Butcher and Paul Wilkinson.

Each evening from 7.45pm Tickets from The Box Office Tel: 01704 530521/530460.

David Davies directs Stanley Houghton’s classic 1910 play HINDLE WAKES, for FORMBY LITTLE THEATRE, from Tues April 1 to Sat April 5 and Tues April 8 to Sat April 12.

Hindle Wakes tells the story of Fanny Hawthorne who goes for a ‘dirty weekend’ with her boyfriend. When the two families find out they demand the couple get married but Fanny has different ideas.

The play was considered highly subversive at the time and is one of the few plays to have a working class female protagonist exercising her belief in sexual and financial independence.

Directed by Val Davies, the cast includes Christine Dempsey, in the role made famous by Dame Sybil Thorndike in the 1931 film, David Davies and Chris Lanceley.

The April attraction at THE ROYAL COURT THEATRE, LIVERPOOL is SPECIAL MEASURES, a comedy written by Mark Davies Markham and set in an ordinary school in Netherton which has been graded ‘failing’ by Ofsted.

The staff of St. Jude’s have to apply special measures to bring it up to standard but are desperate to show there is more to a school than ticking boxes.

When showboating Tory MP arrives, anxious for a photo op, he upsets Grace, the oldest and most well-loved member of staff and Ed The Head has a job to control events.

With a soundtrack of Northern Soul music, this is a comedy for all ages. Running from April 4 to May 3 at 8pm each evening plus matinées at 2pm on Saturdays and on Wed 30. Arrive an hour early for a delicious meal at your seat for just an extra £10.

Ormskirk Theatre Club present John Steinbeck’s classic OF MICE AND MEN from Wed April 2 to Sat April 5 at UPSTAIRS AT DISRAELI’S, CHURCH STREET, ORMSKIRK.

The drama revolves around George and Lennie, two itinerant farmhands touring California one summer in the 1930s, seeking work. Seemingly at the bottom of the social ladder, the two nevertheless have hopes of a better life, owning a few acres and ‘livin’ off the fat o’ the land’.

Andy Hill stars as George and Dave Smith as Lennie in Steinbeck’s thought-provoking drama staged over 4 nights Upstairs at Disraeli’s.

Tickets now on sale at the bar and online at www.ormskirktheatrecompany.co.uk, where you can see a short trailer of the production.

The show starts at 7.30pm Tickets £10/£8 – no booking fee if purchased online.

Theatre meals also available on the Wednesday and Thursday nights at discounted price. Please note, theatre meals are not available on the Friday and Saturday night.

The bar is already heavily booked with orders for the Grand National weekend.

The club are also delighted to announce that Pat Baker and Alan Thompson have been nominated in the NODA North West of England awards for their roles in The Anastasia File.

The ceremony takes place in Manchester in May, and follows on from their success at the recent regional NODA awards in Southport, where they won four awards plus a further seven nominations, the nods going to Pat Baker, Alex Harvey, Gary Simpson and Alan Thompson.