'There's nothing half so sweet in life as love's young dream'
It's hard enough being a teenager in love and persuading your parents that they should let you get married, but what if one of them is a meddling ghost?
This is the story behind the next play at St Vincent's Dramatics Society, 'The Late Mrs Early' by Norman Robbins, a perfect choice for the week of Halloween.
When Terry Early brings Susan Rickworth home to announce that they intend to marry, his mother Alice is furious and will have none of it.
Caught in the middle of this is Sam, Terry's father, whose peace of mind is shattered by events, as is his friend Joe.
Even nosy neighbour Mabel is on hand to witness the goings on.
The unexpected and sudden demise of Alice seems to offer a peaceful solution.
However, Alice as a vengeful ghost is even more formidable than as a living wife and mother.
A spokesperson for the society said: "We have performed a number of plays by Norman Robbins in the past. He creates wonderful characters, and the stories are always well-written - the actors have been enjoying getting into these characters during rehearsals.
"This is our second production this year, the first time we have presented two plays in a year since Covid struck in 2020.
"This has only been possible due to our recent increase in members, who have been working in all areas of stage work and running the society. We have been able to achieve far more this year than we had imagined possible.
"Other local theatre groups have helped too – it's great that we can work together to help each other out. We are also proud to be members of Bolton Amateur Theatre Societies, as well as National Operatic and Dramatics Association.
"There's something for everyone in the play - humour, drama, and a love story too.
"Both families are present as the drama unfolds. This is as well as having Joe and Mabel lending a hand, resulting in a well-scripted chaos."
The question is, can Alice be persuaded to leave the family in peace? Will Terry and Susan's young love prevail?
Some tickets are still available - check Ticketsource, and the society's website www.stvincentsds.weebly.com. Performances are from Wednesday 30th October to Saturday 2nd November, starting at 7:30pm in the Parish Hall, Rutherford Drive, Over Hulton, Bolton BL5 1DJ.
If you wish to know about other productions in Greater Manchester's Town of Culture, look online at www.batsbolton.co.uk/whats-on/ for BATS, or at www.noda.org.uk/whats-on for NODA – check them all out on Facebook too.
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