THEATRE REVIEW: Gym And Tonic - Theatre Royal, Wakefield

Whenever you see the name John Godber you know you that the performance will be a “slice of life“. It will contain situations that we can all associate with in our everyday life, and most importantly there will be something to make us laugh and possibly cry.

Gym & Tonic was originally written 25 years ago and published in 2000. Since which time Godber himself admits that he has totally rewritten the piece and this certainly brings the play into the modern world, taking a sharp look at our mental health and well-being.

The play centres around married couple Don and Shirley and their visit to a spa to get away from the kids, take some well needed “us” time and to celebrate Don’s 40th Birthday. Their differences are evident from the first scene when having arrived Shirley clearly just wants to throw herself into the opportunity to enjoy temporary paradise whilst Don worries about the fact on the way to the spa the car exhaust was noisy and that he has parked his car next to a Rolls Royce.

The setting is the Scardale Spa & Hall Health Farm which modestly portrays itself as the best in Europe. The staff there are happy to pamper you, massage you and put you through your paces, all for the cost of a kidney, or just maybe an arm or a leg (as Don often laments). The spa has been recently redecorated to the tune of £7million, a further point of discomfort for Don. They are welcomed by Gemma, one of those people whom we have all met at a spa, who revels in the peace and tranquillity, and lifestyle offered by her establishment. It is a place she is hugely proud of. Even the fact that our married couple have clearly booked the cheapest room in the complex does not dampen her enthusiasm in offering the couple every opportunity to relax and be at one with nature.

Unpacked, Shirley throws herself into every possible activity, whilst Don mopes around looking bored and not really knowing what to do with himself. His anxiety reaches fever pitch when told he must strip down to his boxers for his free massage.

Joining the couple as guests at the spa are Ken, a self-made man (probably millionaire) and Gertrude Tate an eccentric older lady who enters and leaves having offered her own view of the world.

The performances were enjoyable, there were a few quick changes and these were achieved with (what appeared to be) no fuss. Jacqueline Naylor (Gertrude Tate and Gemma) was excellent as both characters. Her introduction to the audience and her trying to stay calm whilst calling Keith Concierge (who took an age to appear) was very funny. I particularly liked the scene when having sold the dream of pure, clean and living in tranquillity to Don and Shirley, she is then seen sneaking off to have a quick vape!

Stephanie Hackett (Shirley and Cloe) really grasped the frustrated and unhappy side of Shirley whilst her deadpan Chloe (masseuse) was a good foil for Don in the massage scenes. Her timing on the declaration “it’s only the face today” after Don had stripped down to his boxers for the second massage was hilarious. She also excelled when as Shirley, in a lapse of concentration, she told Ken what she needed was “a piece of chocolate and a week of mindless sex”. The realisation on her face was a sight to behold.

Peter McMillan’s portrayal as Don was heartfelt throughout, you could tell there was something troubling him, but it was never fully obvious what the issue was. That was until the last scene when faced with the reality of going home, Don has a mini breakdown, insisting in an argument with Shirley that they buy a caravan so in future they can be at one with nature without paying the costs of going to a spa. What we discover in this scene is his utter frustration at his life and the fact that he has felt he has never been able to do what HE wanted to do. Whilst I think this scene was poignant, I would have liked to have seen even more angst and maybe more animation as he struggled to cope with the situation. Even some raising of the voice in this scene I think may have had a bigger impact as a contrast to the serene spa surroundings.

My favourite was Robert Angell (Ken and Keith). As Keith he created a comedy character who although he didn’t have much to say, he still managed to make an impact. As the self-made man Ken he brought a confidence and authority to stage without the need to over-play it.

The stage was well used with large, oversized potted plants and rattan furniture littered with deep, inviting cushions to give the impression of opulence. Only one note here, this was a big stage so was it really necessary to bring on the massage table for the relatively short massage scenes? I think it would have been better to have had an area of stage dedicated to this….just a thought !

To close, this is a typical Godber production, something to make you laugh, something to draw your attention to and something for you to take home. The issue of mental health has become somewhat a ‘buzz’ word of late, and I am sure that we will see ‘Gym and Tonic’ played in theatres up and down the country anytime soon.

Reviewer - Jen O'Beirne
on - 12/9/19