Boss New Plays is the annual showcase of their work, split over two nights. Tonight’s performance featured four plays that had emotional depth, pathos and, above all, Scouse humour.
All Good Things
Written and directed by Brian John Mutton We meet newly retired Ted (Derek Cross) and Jessy (Linzy Boden), his wife of 45 years, in the comfortable front room of their bungalow. Jessy, already retired, had an established routine that Ted was about to disrupt. We follow Ted’s first two months grappling with retirement through some witty and typically Scouse repartee between the pair. From the Kama Sutra to vampire slaying to an amorous neighbour (Sheila Samuels), Brian John Mutton’s script delivers surprises.
All Good Things is full of heart and pathos and will leave you emotionally satisfied by the end.
Harry’s World
Written by Joe Lewis. Directed by Kevin Foott. Dementia is no laughing matter, of course, but sometimes humour is the best way to highlight an issue that is impacting more and more families every day. We meet a smartly dressed Harry (Iain Barrie), who has just alighted from a train at Bootle Oriel Road. Appearing lost, an empathetic police officer (Shaun O’Connor) asks Harry if he is OK. Immediately suspicious that he is being questioned about stealing apples, Harry offers a curt “no comment” in response. The pair engage in conversation, during which we find out why Harry is in Bootle, but not where he should be.
His daughter (Lisa McMahon) appears, much to Harry’s surprise, and confides in the police officer that she has a tracker on Harry’s phone. It is works like this that can raise awareness of dementia and even help families spot the signs early in their loved ones.
Sunflowers
Written by Paula Frew. Directed by John Mac. Lenny (Tommy Tyler Morgan) is sitting at the breakfast table doing a crossword when Margo, a nurse and his partner of two years, joins him, seemingly still drunk from the night before. Lenny ignores her for as long as he can before making a sarcastic comment. As their dialogue unfolds, it becomes obvious that there is tension between them. Margo goes to wake Jasmine, her 14-year-old daughter, only to discover she is not in her room and that her bed has not been slept in. After a while, she is reported missing.
Detective Glass arrives and begins questioning the couple, and little by little the truth emerges. A fleeting moment between Lenny and Jasmine had triggered some long-repressed memories in Margo. The audience were held rapt in silence during the intentionally unsettling denouement. Without doubt, Sunflowers was the most hard-hitting and emotional play of the evening, and Karen Sharples, as Margo, gave the performance of the night.
When in Rome
Written by Joe Lewis. Directed by Andy Kerr. Two Scouse painter and decorators take their tools and skills to Rome after being blacklisted from every job in Liverpool for being terrible at their profession. Without giving too much away, they work on the Spanish Steps, the Sistine Chapel and the Colosseum, incurring the wrath of a papal official (PJ Murray). Mike Sanders and John Purcell gave pitch-perfect performances as the decorators, very much in the style of Laurel and Hardy. Indeed, it was very easy to imagine this as one of the iconic duo’s short films. I can pay the writer, director and performers no higher compliment than that.
The Lantern Writers presented a hugely entertaining evening, and I am already looking forward to next year’s Boss New Plays.
Reviewer – Adrian Cork
On – 06.06.2026
