Dames delight with spritely new rendition of Ladies on the Costa 2

The Dames of the Busselton Repertory Club are back with another slew of fascinating characters in their production of Ladies on the Costa 2 as part of Busselton Performing Arts Festival.

A sequel to last year’s highly successful run of Ladies on the Costa at the Old Court House, the group has this year migrated to the confines of The Weld Theatre, a space much better suited to the nature of the performance.

Stringing together a series of monologues by Linda McNaughton Jordan, the one-hour performance follows the journey of four English women who have all migrated to sunny Spain, each for their own reasons, both comedic and heartfelt at times.

A simple and effective set conveys the cosy and colourful warmth of a quaint Spanish bar which plays host to the four women in question.

Each woman takes turns telling her stories, each clearly resonating with audiences in their own unique ways, be it with a laugh or a respondent sigh of agreement from the auditorium.

A notable performance comes from seasoned performer Tricia Mothersloe, whose projection is to be commended, filling the room with a colourful and engaging rendition of her particular monologue.

Special mention must also go to newcomer Carolyn Forte, whose spunk and sass is a refreshing conclusion to the evening in a very personable performance. I hope she continues to be a regular on the Weld’s stage.

Although it is quite a small venue, use of the stage could have been greater, with staging stagnant for most of the show up until the lively closing salsa number, which ended the performance on a high, earning thunderous applause from the crowd.

Ladies on the Costa 2 makes for a pleasant day out, telling tales that ring true with local audiences, and the cast are to be praised for putting on this sequel to a cheery production.