SPRING season has opened at the Dukes Theatre with a nostalgic look back at the trials and tribulations of childhood.
Dennis Potter's Blue Remembered Hills takes seven grown-up actors and turns them into mischievous 1940s schoolchildren whiling away an afternoon in the forest The band of urchins features every child who was ever at your school from burly, bully Peter (Anthony Bessick) to runny-nosed wimp Donald Duck (Howard Gossington).
The interplay between the children is beautifully observed and prompted gales of laughter from the audience as the various characters vie for the leadership of the gang and the affections of manipulative schoolgirls Angela (Vanessa Clarke, pictured) and Audrey (Claire Vousden) who use their charms to get the gullible boys to do anything they want.
A scene where Peter is beaten in a fight by feisty little tough-nut John (Glyn Pritchard), brought cheers from the audience as the bully is vanquished and slinks away to lick his wounds.
The actors convey the politics of childhood, their fears, joys and heartbreaks, perfectly, and the play is guaranteed to delight adults and children alike.
Blue Remembered Hills runs until February 26. For details and tickets, call 01524-598500.
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