Review: The Empty Nesters' Club

FAMILY TIES: The Empty Nesters' Club at the Theatre Royal Wakefield.

I've long been a fan of John Godber's work and have seen just about everything he's written over the years, ever since I came across a production of Bouncers in the late 1970s and was thrilled to find a playwright speaking my language.

I’ve enjoyed some of his plays more than others but what they all have in common is an empathy and an understanding of how the good folk of Yorkshire tick.

The Empty Nesters’ Club is particularly relevant to a great swathe of society and very well observed. Any parent of a young person embarking on a new life whether to university or a job away from home and family will have no difficulty in seeing aspects of themselves and their situation, portrayed so eloquently by Phil Barret and Jane Hogarth.

They convey the confusion and sadness felt during this milestone of their daughter’s life beautifully. No longer able to nurture and keep her safe, it’s a frightening time.

Josie Morley as daughter Mollie is equally accomplished. Making life-changing decisions on a whim: a throwaway line and a shrug of her shoulders, with no thought to the consequences and how much store her parents set by her status as a successful student, and by implication, theirs. As you’d expect with Godber, though there’s drama and tears, there’s plenty of humour too and the music throughout is excellent.

At Theatre Royal Wakefield until February 4.