P&P Productions 
Barrington Theatre, Ferndown
Caroline Burr
16 September 2026
P&P Players have chosen four short plays from the various volumes of Deckchairs written by Jean McConnell, which are all set near the sea. This is a popular choice for amateur groups as each has a cast of two women, is easy to stage and can be combined in any order to suit the talents of the group and their audience. I had very much enjoyed this group’s recent production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, so was looking forward to the evening’s entertainment.
Deckchairs poses a challenge in that The Barrington is a large stage to fill, but too much furniture and set dressing could make for long scene changes between the playlets. I wondered if the width of the stage could have been reduced by bringing the tabs in at either side, making the setting more intimate. Instead the Director chose to have most of the furniture for the entire evening on stage throughout, and then move it into place for each different scene. Unfortunately, this made the design less than convincing. More set dressing would have made the scenes more credible, especially in Day Trippers, along with a more imaginative backdrop.
The first duologue, Day Trippers, is set on the beach where a work outing leaves the larger than life Beryl and the shy, retiring Doris (Veronica Ryder) chatting over lunch. Veronica Ryder is a very experienced actress, and was wholly convincing as the easily shocked older lady. Barbara Bone gave us a very energetic Beryl, with a consistently good accent throughout and a wicked laugh. There is a twist in the tale at the end which came as a genuine surprise, unlike the second and third offerings – Cruise Missile and Cupboard Love where the punchlines were rather predictable. This is a criticism of the writing rather than the performances.
The second play, Cruise Missile, finds us on board ship, with the hideously overbearing Goldie (Kelly-Anne Singleton) attempting to take complete control of Janet’s holiday. This was a very good performance from Kelly-Anne who was persuasive as the ‘holiday from hell’ fellow guest. The two actresses played well against each other, with Sharon White as the timid, polite Janet. She was well cast, in part because of the contrast in physicality with Goldie and the carefully chosen costumes.
After the interval we saw Cupboard Love and the return of Barbara Bone, this time playing Peggy and introduced Kerri Widley as Jane, both trying to get fit after meeting a new man. They both like cooking, but are found to have more than they imagined in common! Again the costumes were good, and the set kept very simple. Unfortunately, the pace flagged at times, as there was a certain hesitancy over lines, but both actresses gave credible performances as the two characters.
The last part of the show was the story of two actresses demonstrating their ego’s as they play out their competitive rivalry in Theatrical Digs. Veronica Ryder was a complete contrast to her earlier role as Doris, acting the part of the rather icy and imperious Maggie very well. I could actually imagine her on the boards at Stratford! Hannah Lobley as the young, ambitious and ruthless Pascaline looked the part as the glamorous, arrogant. Her gushing delivery, particularly about herself, set up the conflict nicely between the two characters.
Overall, I found the material a bit uninspiring (in contrast to, say, Talking Heads by Alan Bennett), and to play anything other than stereotypes was difficult. It was also tough for the Director, Clare l’Anson, to get much movement around the space as all the stories involved two people talking to each other. However, it was a light-hearted evening which was enjoyed by the small but very appreciative audience.
