Redlynch Players 
Redlynch Village Hall, Lover, Salisbury 
Philip & Julie McStraw 
30 November 2024
The latest production by the Redlynch Players in the charming Redlynch Village Hall is Visitors – the first full length play written in 2014 by Barney Norris, the well-known author and playwright who has strong personal connections to Salisbury and the surrounding area. The play received widespread acclaim from theatre critics, when it premiered in London, and won Norris a Most Promising Playwright award.
It is a celebration of the lives of an elderly couple, Edie and Arthur, as they struggle in their twilight years to deal with Edie’s quickening dementia and Arthur’s creaking body. Their moving story is beautifully told with moments of warm-heartedness and gentleness, tinged with unavoidable sadness, as their time together draws to a close. The life-long loving relationship they have had with each other is revealed, as is the difficult relationship they have with their insensitive son, Stephen – an infrequent and reluctant visitor to the family farm in the ‘back of beyond’ on Salisbury Plain. Stephen has just arranged for a young woman, Kate, to come and live with his parents to provide basic care and support. However, Kate is a ‘lost soul’ who is drifting through life and has problems of her own.
The action takes place in the living room of a cosy farmhouse, where Edie and Arthur spend much of their time reminiscing, though the ‘wanted’ words no longer come easily to Edie and she is frustrated by her meandering memory and increasing physical frailty. Despite their limitations they remain content with their lot, and are resistant to Stephen’s suggestions that they sell up the ancestral farm to move into a care home, where in all likelihood they will be separated. Kate’s arrival provides temporary respite, but it only delays the inevitable.
This Redlynch Players production of Visitors was very good indeed, but then that’s what we have come to expect from this talented theatre group. It is always a pleasure to come here knowing that the quality of acting is likely to be first rate and the venue just perfect – even when the subject matter is as hard hitting as this. The part of Edie was played by Ali Silver, and Arthur is played by Graham Simpson, both Redlynch Players stalwarts. They were utterly convincing and compelling in the physicality of their performances and in the faultless delivery of their lines, with empathy and a natural Wiltshire accent.
Andrew Harrison-King likewise delivered a fine performance in the roll of curmudgeonly Stephen. By the end of his performance, one couldn’t help but to be sorry for the character, even if it wasn’t entirely clear that what he had done was best for him rather than his parents. The part of Kate was well played by Gina Hodsman. She was totally believable in her character and raised the level of intensity in her performance when dealing with unwanted amorous advances from Stephen.
The stage was set ‘in the round’ and comprised a raised platform surrounded by a bucolic border of golden wheat and barley stalks with poppies. In the middle of this was placed a wool rug, two armchairs and a stool. It was entirely effective and quite enough to conjure up the right atmosphere for the occasion. The perfectly synchronised lighting and sound added to the overall effect.
Director Lloyd Perry and his production team can add another success to the Redlynch Players’ roll of honour!
This was the final performance of Visitors in this run, but do look out for it in the future as it’s well worth seeing.
