Brian Friel's 'Lovers - Winners & Losers' At The Mill Theatre

5th April 2008

Edinburgh based Theatre Crave and The Emotional Tramps Theatre Co. come together to bring Brian Friel's 'Lover's - Winners & Losers', to Thurso's Mill Theatre later this month. Irish playwright Friel's masterpiece was first performed at Dublin's Gate Theatre in July 1967 and proved to be an instant success. The two one-act plays, Winners and Losers, are presented as a single play, though they share neither characters nor story.
The lovers of the first act are a young couple whilst in the second they are well beyond their prime. Together, however, the plays complete each other, observing and commenting on two different kinds of love.

In 'Winners', directed by Iain MacDonald, the carefree, romantic Mag, (Julia Dixon-Phillip) and the uptight, practical Joe (Marc Dixon), are two seventeen-year-olds preparing for their GCE-exams on a sunny day up on a hill "that overlooks the town of Ballymore." Their future seems to be all set, Mag is pregnant, they are engaged to be married and the lease for their flat is signed. The day, however, ends quite differently than expected. Two commentators, (Alan Jeffrey and Hayley Jones) accompany the action on stage.

In 'Losers', directed by Timothy C Yarrow, the middle-aged, likeable Andy Tracey, (Iain MacDonald) keeps stepping out of the action in order to share with the audience his love life with the bitter and subdued Hanna Wilson (Kirsty Nicolson). After they marry, Hanna's domineering mother (Kath Mansfield) and their devout neighbour, Cissy Cassidy (Fiona Forsyth), continue to play a decisive part in their relationship. Religious service sets the schedule for the day in the Wilson household.

You can see 'Lovers' at Thurso's Mill Theatre at 8:00pm on Saturday 12th April. Tickets, priced at £8.00 & £6.00 (Concession) can be booked by calling 01847-896956.