What would you do if your husband died? Cherish his memory, and his gravestone, for ever more, try and find another long-term partner, or simply start dating again? That, in essence, is the nub of the Cemetery Club storyline.
Although the subject matter of The Cemetery Club is not the most upbeat, the play by Ivan Menchell is written as a slice of New York Jewish humour. The three protagonists are friends who meet up regularly to visit their late husbands’ gravestones; hence the name of the play.
Anita Harris, Shirley-Anne Field and Anne Charleston play the three widows, all reacting differently to the deaths of their partners: Stoicism and loyalty, grappling with the idea of ‘moving on’ or simply hiding behind one off dalliances and what appears to be the ritual procurement of fur coats.
The actors definitely seemed to have chemistry together, particularly in a scene where they return tipsy from a wedding and a few home truths added bite to the humour.
It needed a few more witty lines and the pace of the play was a little let down by the set changes, which could have done with being a little smarter, but overall not a bad way to finish the current Colchester season.
Roll on the next one!