A Passionate Woman, Coliseum Theatre, Oldham. Runs until November 23. THE Passionate Woman of the title is Betty (Zena Walker), who decides on her beloved son's wedding day to clean the attic and dust off some memories at the same time.

It's an unlikely scenario which becomes increasingly so as the play progresses.

Walker strikes a perfectly judged balance between vulnerability and strength as the middle-aged, overweight woman for whom passion in her marriage is long spent.

But her recollection of a youthful fling is still fresh. Walker ensures the character is sufficiently acid for us not to be too sympathetic to her plight.

But as her husband, Donald, Chris Wilkinson, with a beautifully judged performance, elicits our compassion despite his wife's condemnation of him as a man as reluctant to part with his emotions as he is with his money.

All this angst is not only deeply moving in parts, but very funny. Director Lawrence Till, the Bolton Octagon's Artistic Director, has squeezed every ounce of humour from Kay Mellor's play. He sets and maintains a cracking pace which keeps actors and audience on their toes.

John Griffin as Craze, Betty's lover, is suitably sexy and seductive and Matthew Vaughan as the bewildered son stays just on the right side of hysteria. The scene where father and son embrace for the first time brings a lump to the throat.

The set designed by Martin Johns is excellent. Prepare to be surprised and delighted in the final scene when Betty makes her big decision.

Playwright Kay Mellor is not strong on sublety, but her views on family life and marriage strike chords with many of us. DOREEN CROWTHER

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