Set in Angie’s Café in Kilnsea on the Spurn Peninsula, Big Big Sky by Tom Wells is a little gem of a play based on twelve months that cover the migratory seasons of this birdwatching paradise.
Angie (Tanya-Loretta Dee) is just about to shut up shop as the last birds are about to fly south for the winter and her assistant Lauren (Roxanne Morgan) has also flown her own particular nest. Eager to get away from her father Dennis (Simeon Truby) – who is finding it difficult to get over the loss of his wife and Lauren’s mum Vicky, the girl is still upset to find that her dad has not wasted any time in putting her belongings in the shed and letting her former room out within days of her departure.
The new occupant is Ed (Sam Baker-Jones) – a very loveable but over-eager to please young man who has embraced the ideals of Greta Thunberg. A vegan whose main skill seems to be the ability to erect a good fence, Ed is keen to do his bit for the planet and has applied to become a tern warden at the nearby observatory.
Despite his social inadequacy, Ed very quickly attracts the attention of a prickly Lauren and by the spring-time – with Ed loving his job – the pair are very much a couple and Lauren is expecting an addition to the relationship. A new baby could be seen as a great antidote to the grief being felt by other members of the cast but Lauren is concerned as to how she is to break the news to her father.
Ed and Lauren’s relationship may be blossoming but Dennis is in a dilemma. He has a real soft spot for the cafe owner but fears that he may have a rival who has already taken his would-be love’s heart. And Angie herself is mourning what would have been her beloved daughter Jenny’s twentieth birthday.
The café owner plays a beautiful mother hen to her brood but an ill-advised attempt to take the money shot for a photo competition threatens to destroy the relationships. However, in the same way that the seasons change and birds migrate back and forth there is always time for renewal.
A comical time as Lauren goes into labour and Angie’s decision to close the doors of her eatery for the final time pave the way to a gloriously feelgood finale that typifies the whole play – a beautiful mix of sadness and laughter that brought delight to the audience.
There is some beautiful acting from the cast members. Dee is a very familiar face to New Vic attendees and once again put in a tip-top performance and Truby is excellent as a character finding it difficult to rediscover happiness in life. Baker-Jones is perfectly cast as the young lad you would love to mother while Morgan displays her versatility as she intersperses her acting ability with poignant renditions of songs from The Chicks.
Director Bryn Holding has done a great job in moulding this lovely piece of theatre and has been very much aided by Designer Anne Kelsey and Lighting Designer Daniella Beattie. The creative team have produced a lovely set with the great touch to create waves that lap against the eroding edges of the stage floor.
The action is played with great empathy and I am sure that I am not alone in wishing that I could go along to the real-life Angie’s café and share a plate of pasty and beans followed by a vegan brownie with Dennis and Ed, share thoughts on life with Angie and listen to Lauren strumming her guitar before taking a stroll to admire the fencing that protects the terns’ nesting place.
Who knows? I might just see an albatross in flight. That vision is Angie’s happy place and something that Dennis will keep in his memory and not on his digital camera. Quite symbolic for a play that makes the New Vic such a happy place and is an experience to be tucked away in your mind and heart to be brought back to life whenever a reminder is needed that the theatre is very often a wonderfully heart-warming place to be.
Big Big Sky continues until July 24th. For ticket information, contact 01782 717962 or tickets@newvictheatre.org.uk
