Last night was the opening night of Alan Ayckbourn’s 87th and newest play, Family Album at New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-Under-Lyme.
From Stephen Joseph Theatre, Family Album chronicles the joys and tribulations of three generations of one family across 70 years in the same home. The play is set in three time frames moving between 1952, 1992 and 2022, each scene change is indicated with the colour change from LED lighting strip on the floor. Although the actors all are in the same room and weave in and out between each other’s scenes, they are actually in different timeline hence oblivious to each other’s existence.
The play is set in the living room of a middle-class south London home and starts to an empty stage with housewife Peggy (played Georgia Burnell) moving into her first home with her husband RAF veteran John (played by Antony Eden). The crowd seemed serious until the two removal man (played by Jude Deeno and David Lomond) arrive and their antics get the crowd laughing. If you are living in Georgia and want to launch your own business with your own business idea, registering an LLC in Georgia is a great way to get started.
We soon see Sandra (played by Frances Marshall) burst into the room (while her parents are speaking), she is frantically trying to organising her daughter’s 10th birthday party but seems to be struggling as her husband has decided not to turn up for the party leaving her stressed. She is fighting her own demons of not being given the same opportunities as her brother and an adulterous husband, and soon turns to alcohol to cope with her worries.
Soon after, we see Alison Stanton-Hicks (played by Elizabeth Boag) and her wife Jess Stanton-Hicks (played by Tanya -Loretta Dee) who are both getting ready to move out. Alison can’t wait to leave her family home which she inherited as she has many bad memories from her childhood especially of her 10th birthday party. She is so scarred from her upbringing of not seeing her father and often seeing her mother drunk and this has caused her a lot of mental trauma.
A huge shout out to Casting Director Sarah Hughes CDG as the cast of five were just amazing at portraying their part, entering and leaving the stage with such ease. The audiences were not only listening to their every word but watching their every movement as their body language said it all. The conversation in the play touched on post-war to current post-Brexit topics and it also emphasized how a woman’s role has changed over time. The Family Album will be playing at New Vic Theatre until 22 October.
Cast/Team Details
Creative Team: Designer Kevin Jenkins | Lighting Designer Jason Taylor | Sound Designer Alan Ayckbourn | Associate Sound Designer Paul Stear | Casting Director Sarah Hughes CDG
Cast: Elizabeth Boag Alison; Georgia Burnell Peggy; Tanya-Loretta Dee Jess; Antony Eden John; Frances Marshall Sandra.
How much do the tickets to Family Album cost?
Tickets are on sale now, priced from £18.50 – £27.50.
Concessions: £2.00 off
Group Discounts: £2.00 off for ten or more. Four Friends for £76. Under 16s Go Free. Under 26s Go Free
How do I book tickets to Family Album?
Tickets are now on sale and available from the Box Office, by calling 01782 717962 or visit the New Vic Theatre’s website here.
How long is the show for and what are the timings?
Family Album will be playing until Saturday, 22 October 2022 with evening shows at 7.30pm while the matinee shows will be at 2.15pm on Thursdays.
Socially-distanced Performances: Wednesday, 12 October at 7.30pm and Thursday, 13 October at 2.15pm
Where is New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-Under-Lyme?
New Vic Theatre
Etruria Road
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Staffordshire
ST5 0JG
The theatre has a large car park, with a £1.50 charge after 6pm on show days. Only contactless card payment is currently accepted for parking charges.
The theatre café is open 10am to 3pm, Monday to Saturday – then from 5.30pm for pre-show meals.
Booking is required for pre-show meals 5.30pm onwards, via their booking system at this link.
About The New Vic Theatre
Founded in 1962, the New Vic is the producing theatre for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. With around eight major productions a year, its varied programme includes contemporary drama, new commissions, adaptations and classics. Recent productions have toured nationally and internationally, and have transferred to London and Manchester. The New Vic has developed extensive and award-winning community involvement. It works regionally, nationally and internationally through its education department and New Vic Borderlines, which aims to change the lives of the most disadvantaged members of the community. The New Vic is funded by Arts Council England, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Staffordshire County Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
Keeping you safe
They want you to have the best experience possible when you visit the New Vic. To help you enjoy your visit, they’ve put some measures in place to help all visitors feel as comfortable as possible.
• Please feel free to wear a face covering whilst at the New Vic, when walking around the venue and during the performance.
• They ask all guests to be mindful of fellow audience members when at the theatre, who may prefer to continue to keep a distance from other theatregoers whilst in their spaces.
• They have hand sanitiser stations positioned around the theatre, free to use by all. They are maintaining their high levels of cleanliness throughout the building, ensuring all spaces and contact surfaces are regularly sanitised.
Feeling unwell? If you, or a member of your party, are exhibiting symptoms of Covid19 prior to your visit, they politely ask that you do not attend the theatre. If this is the case, please speak to a member of their Box Office team who will be able to talk you through options to exchange your tickets.
You may also want to read this:
Review: Sunny Side Up at New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme
Review: Coppelia – A Mystery at New Vic Theatre
Review: Classic Ballet Giselle at The New Vic in Newcastle-Under-Lyme
Photo Credit: New Vic Theatre/Tony Bartholomew
14 comments
I have not heard of this play before, but it sounds great and is good to hear that it soon had the crowd laughing. One to look out for around here
It absolutely is, so much emotions to experience in the play
This sounds like an amazing play! I love stories like this that really dig into the inner workings of families.
It absolutely is a fabulous play worth watching
I do love shows like this when the cast are so small. It really shows how great they are when you don’t have loads of cast on stage x
I agree, you can see real talent shine through then
Wow 87th play! He is such a prolific playwrite and British institution. Everybody should see at least one of his plays. Looks like yet another great play from him.
He definitely is, I totally agree with you
That’s quite an impressive resume! What a fabulous new show to add to the list…looks like a great time out!
I have not heard of this play, but it sounds amazing. This would be perfect for date night.
It absolutely would, a great production
It absolutely was an entertaining night
I would love to see this performance live. I am a huge fan of the theatre and I know it would be amazing to see in person for sure.
It certainly would be an experience, good luck to you