‘Love on the Dole’

Press, 17 June 1982, Page 6

‘Love on the Dole’

“Love on the Dole,” by Ronald Gow and Walter Greenwood, directed - by David Bridges for the Elmwood: Players,.at the Elmwood’Playhouse. June'l6 to 19 and-June 2S to 26.- Running time: Spin.. t0’10.15 p.m.;; Reviewed by,. Philip Norman. ’ Thevmoral of this rather ponderous play seems to be that love on the dole does not pay. /Walter Greenwood was one of the leading-proletar-ian writers of: the i<19305,. a novelist and playwright-with a social conscience who did much.- to publicise'the plight of the working class-during the ! -Depression years. His “Love, on the Ddle” was originally written as a novel and later adapted for the stage? in collaboration/ with Ronald Gow. ?--£.■• The ; play centres 'oh the suffefirig' of the Hardcastle family. The father?(played by Michael; Maguirejns.' driven to despair and irrationality by his inability th find. work,and ends up directing.all his anger at those who are his

moral.- and at times financial. support - his family. His daughter. Sally Hardcastle . (Priscilla Clark), is =. driven to “whoring” ‘ for •; money after " her fiance, Larry Beath (Robin Mckenzie) was killed in a demonstration. Lack of. money was . at the root of his death; lack of money had prevented his marrying Sally, Her brother, Harry Hardcastle . (Barnaby Mcßryde), is forced to marry his girlfriend, Helen Hawkins (Rachel Groom), because of an unwanted pregnancy. He ’■ is also out of .work, and /thrown out-of the house by his father in order to keep up a veneec'of respectability, for the family home.. . . . ./ The mother (played by Jennie Goodman) .-perhaps suffers : ,the. most: /'.she is: forced’ to try to run the .. household on a below-subsis-tence income and watches i helplessly as her family is ' torn apart by the pressures’ , lack of money creates?'./. ; Welcome light relief is. ; supplied by members of the

“uh-oh” squad, three gossiping interfering old biddies in. Mrs Jike (Joanna Raymond), Mrs Dorbell (Moreen Eason), and Mrs Bull (Kathleen Johnson). Also comic. but sinister in his. part in the “‘downfall” of Sally Hardcastle is a’ rich street-bookie, Sam Grundy './(John-Ellis). '’ • All in the cast presented their roles faithfully and sympathetically , and at times,, .particularly in the first scene, an intense and intimate .atmosphere was neatly generated, But too many fluffed lines, pauses for frequent promptings, some clumsy handling of props, and overly long scene changes kept dissipating the energy on stage. Some tidying up of the mechanics of the production is required. f? Although 50 years old, the play still carries some meaty arguments about the ill-ef-: fects of a depression ’and hard times, particularly, relevant today. Given a little . • more polish, the Elmwood /-Players’ production '-of<it could be well worth seeing.