ILKLEY Playhouse was showcasing new talent last week in two fringe productions performed as a double bill.

‘Young Souls’ by Sally Brockway and directed by Colin Waterman featured students from the adult Greenroom class and was an utterly charming piece of theatre.

The setting for Young Souls is a care home and I’ll admit to feeling certain reservations on seeing three high-backed chairs occupied by residents in various states of disrepair. In a rather clichéd manner perhaps these old folk were clearly showing signs of dementia, Motor Neurone Disease and a forthright ‘sprightliness’ respectively. However, when a passionate doctor cum scientific researcher, David Wilyman, plies them with a wonder drug, a powerful and remarkable change occurs, instantly transforming the decrepit into their younger guises and therein lies the ‘wonder’.

In the manner of ‘Awakenings’ or ‘Cocoon’ we watch Margery’s intellect restored. Beautifully realised by Jackie McCreery, Margery ceases to be the woman who can only say ‘jelly’ and reveals the Cambridge educated linguist and code breaker of her formative years. Neil Holt, as Gerald, shakes off his MND torpor to become a dancer and a crooner, still keen to dust off his ambitions as an entertainer. And Gail Stephenson as Beryl, the rather cantankerous old stick suddenly and rather shockingly feels strange stirrings in her loins which she remembers as being a sensation of lust and desire! Brilliant.

Trapped with these ‘Lazurus’s’ is work experience teenager Ashley, who with youthful impulse knocks back several of these miracle pills only to find them having the opposite effect as she rapidly becomes weak, infirm and confused. Samantha Crossfield, in this role, reveals that age old ‘ignorance of youth’ in recognising that the old were young once, whilst gaining an appreciation of what it’s like when your body can’t do as your brain would wish. As Gerald and Beryl seize the opportunity to indulge in some lustful behaviour, Ashley’s cry of ‘The coffin dodgers are banging’ is one of total shock and also maybe respect.

All too soon the sadder reality of these lives is restored but these characters have taken us on a valuable and provocative journey. Well done all.

l Becky Carter