The Wrong Mountain

Mature-aged widow Beth is told by Nicky, her cleaner, that she is too old to be climbing ladders. In defiance of appearing ‘elderly’, she proudly announces to her friends that she is going to climb Mount Everest. Encouraged and in turn discouraged by her close friends, Kaz and Val, Beth begins training for the climb of a lifetime.

But there are other happenings in her life. Her nephew Adam seems to have lost his way and there is the new neighbour, Dave, who seems to have more than a passing interest in her. But Beth battles on, cutting down on her drinking and working out in the gym, before finally taking off for the Himalayas.

Noelene Rees excels as Beth. It’s a big role but Noelene breezes through it, acting brilliantly and using her years of theatre experience to bring Beth to life. She also looked every inch the attractive widow, no matter what clothing she was required to wear.

The supporting team are equally as good. Amanda Vaccaneo as Val gets most of the funny lines, while Natalie Crowe as Katz gives a strong performance. Both these actors are very experienced, so it is no surprise that they easily created their characters.

The ever-reliable Paul Hynes brought his years of experience to the role of Dave. His stage presence and voice projection were superb as was his acting.

Newcomers John Clapshoe as Adam and Aaron Kent as his mate Rob did well for first timers. Finally, Rhianne Rees created a number of excellent supporting characters including Nicky the neighbour, Kirsty the travel agent and Lara the hyper-energetic fitness coach.

The play was accompanied by appropriate music and deft blackouts to keep the action moving between the many scene changes on a simple but functional set.

This is a new play by Cath Willacy. The core of a good play about the ageing of a single woman is there. The cropping of the odd scene and some dialogue tightening is required, otherwise it is an excellent play of the genre.  

Ken Cotterill

Images: top - L to R Natalie Crow (Kaz), Amanda Vaccaneo (Val) and Noelene Rees (Beth), & lower - Rhianne Rees (L) and Noelene Rees (R).