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Mellor is a Passionate Woman at Oldham Coliseum

Following a BBC television adaptation starring Billie Piper and a run at the Hull Truck last year, Kay Mellor’s acclaimed play and worldwide smash hit returns to the stage, in a new co-production between the Oldham Coliseum Theatre and New Wolsey Theatre.

Set on the morning of her beloved son’s wedding, the play tells the story of Betty, a fifty-something doting mother and housewife haunted by memories of a past affair.  Distressed by the emotional upheaval of the day she flees to the attic, resisting the desperate pleas of the bridal party to return. As she sifts through hidden mementoes, she is reminded of the young passionate woman she once was and haunted by the parallel life she could have led.

The play, which stars Mellor as Betty, is based on a confession made to the writer by her own mother, whose affair ended suddenly 30 years previous when her lover was killed. Speaking of her personal ties to the script, Mellor said: “A Passionate Woman is basically my mother’s story so playing Betty will be very emotional for me – it makes me feel very close to her”.

A Passionate Woman premiered at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in 1992 and subsequently transferred to the West End where it ran for a year, followed by five national tours. The television adaptation (also written and directed by Kay Mellor) was aired on the BBC in 2010, starring Billie Piper as the young wife.

Kay Mellor is a Leeds born and bred writer, director and actress best known for her work on several successful and groundbreaking drama series’ including Band of Gold (1995), Playing the Field (1998), Fat Friends (2000), Between the Sheets (2003), Strictly Confidential (2006) and The Chase (2006). Also a successful television and stage actress, Kay has appeared in her own adaptation of Jane Eyre (1997) and in other series such as the comedy drama Stan the Man (2002) and in Gifted (2003). She was awarded an OBE in 2009 for her services to drama.

The show is directed by Gareth Tudor Price, who left Hull Truck in February 2011 after nine years as Artistic Director. The cast includes: James Hornsby (Donald), Anthony Lewis (Mark), Stuart Manning (Craze), and Kay Mellor (Betty).

 

- by Glenn Meads

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