Play review: Morpeth St George’s Community Players perform ‘Quartet’ by Ronald Harwood
By Brian Bennett – Published 31st Mar 2025
Spanning several decades, Morpeth St George’s Community Players have produced many a comedy on the stage at the Church Hall.
However last week, their spring production ‘Quartet’ by Ronald Harwood, which was wonderfully directed by Sharon Saint Lamont and her assistant Maggie Meigh, must rank as being one of their best ever.
The play – described as beautiful, delightful, funny and touching – centres around four former opera singers who are in a retirement home for ex-musicians and was neither a farce nor a tame offering.
Instead, Harwood reaches out and tries to put into context how life can be challenging and very different in retirement years; “why do we have to grow old” is one prominent line.
From left, Wilfred Owen (played by Karl Bovenizer), Jean Horton (played by Bridget Rowbottom) and Cecily Robson (played by Janet Robinson), Reginald Paget (played by Alan Bullock) pictured during the Quartet performance.
The four leading characters in this show, Janet Robinson (as Cissy), Alan Bullock (as Reggie), Bridget Rowbottom (as Jean) and debutant Karl Bovenizer (as Wilf) – all superb in their respective roles – take the script by the scruff of the neck, leave no stone unturned and leave a packed audience torn between laughter and moments of poignancy.
The final scene, where the quartet ‘sing’ a piece of music from ‘Rigoletto’ at a gala concert to celebrate the birthday of Guiseppe Verdi, brought the curtain down on what was a great production.
Lena Walsh, Dave Coghill and Pam Cassells had cameo roles, whilst credit should also go to Robin Heron and Ian Shaw – who assembled a realistic stage set.
Quartet was performed on Thursday, March 27, Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29.
St George's Community Players 