Review by Graham Finney
Labelled as Yorkshire’s Thelma And Louise, Connection saw local writer and co-star of the play, Rachael Halliwell brings her first full length play to her home town of Harrogate performing to a well-deserved sold-out crowd. With a story split between Harrogate and Scarborough, Connection is a tale that tugs on every emotion as the cast of four (Halliwell being joined by Cathy Breeze, Andrew Turner and Emma Leah Golding) explore the messed-up world of relationships.
Starting out with a chance meeting in Harrogate A&E between the characters played by Halliwell and Breeze, continuing to Scarborough before returning back to Harrogate for the second act, Connection is a real rollercoaster of a journey. Compared to Thelma and Louise, Connection is a story that pulls you all over the place as you find yourself becoming more and more involved in the four characters and their lives which unravel in front of you. Comprising of numerous stories all interweaving towards a dramatic finale, Connection is as funny as it is sad, as touching as it is gritty and as dark as it is bright and cheerful. Part drama, part comedy, Connection is an emotional story but one that knows how to make you laugh out loud with a well placed slice of humour and that is the real beauty of the play.
As for the characters, their stories feel all too real as they play out in front of you. The four characters come across as genuine and somewhat familiar as their stories see them revealing some dark, tragic experiences. Playing to an audience heavily invested in the lives of the four characters, Halliwell makes sure that Connection doesn’t leave any loose ends finishing with the characters heading out back on their own individual journeys again having made an impact on each others lives.
Connections runs at the Harrogate Theatre until the 5th October. If you haven’t already be sure to get some tickets to see this great play.
We got chance to chat with Rachael and Cathy ahead of the show, see what they had to say here.
