The Cemetery Club

Made into a 1993 film featuring Olympia Dukakis and Ellyn Burstyn, this very funny play tells the story of three Jewish widows who meet for tea before going to visit their husband's graves once a month.

The plot poses the eternal question of 'how long is long enough to grieve - before moving on with your life?' – but not everyone's motivations are the same. Doris, Ida and Lucille are three very different, larger-than-life roles – each oozing with pathos, presenting a delightfully juicy challenge for any actress 'of a certain age'.

Julie Bailey, Pam Campbell and Margaret Holdom are nicely cast and their combined experience and genuine chemistry ensures that none of the classic one-liners go to waste. It's a cracker of a script - each actress is given equal opportunity to show her dramatic and comedic range – and moods literally change on a dime throughout. The role of Doris is probably the least 'showy' of the three and Campbell does extremely well to not only act as foil for the other two, but to bring subtle intensity to her understated role. They are very well supported by Laszlo Weidlich as the eminently eligible Sam and Kate Clark as Mildred, the glamorous fly in the ointment.

A simple but elegant set ensures that pace and mood are maintained throughout. 

Rose Cooper