Maggie May opens at the Queen’s Theatre-a meaningful play that tackles the reality of Dementia.

Maggie May returned to the Queen’s Theatre in Hornchurch, just over two years after the performance was curtailed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Sadly it is only on until Saturday 28 May.

This beautifully crafted play by Frances Poet, deals with the effects of Dementia on an ordinary household. The whole range of emotions are covered with humour, pathos and sensitivity as the layers are peeled away to show how life changes as the illness progresses.

As the play opens we find Maggie ( Eithne Brown)getting out of bed while Gordon (Tony Timberlake), her husband of 50 years snores. “No” says Maggie “he’s snorting”! Maggie recounts how Gordon has had a stroke and how she looks after him. However, at this point Maggie looks at a post-it note and tells Gordon that they have to get ready as their son Michael is coming over with his girlfriend as it is his birthday. It is at this point that we realise that it is not Gordon but Maggie who has a problem, but doesn’t want to let others know.

Set in a Yorkshire town, Maggie is a no nonsense practical lady who was a dinner lady for years, she has a great sense of humour and is devoted to Gordon and her son Michael (Mark Holgate). She is also best friends with neighbour Jo ( Maxine Finch) but sadly as the play unfolds and the illness worsens Maggie argues and is rude to her. Again not wanting people to know.

Michael arrives with new girlfriend Claire, (Shireen Farkhoy) and things appear to be going well until Maggie forgets it is Claire and calls her Emily, then starts looking at post-it notes and finally misses part of the traditional birthday lunch. Cue Gordon announcing that Maggie has Dementia. Michael cannot get his head around this and storms out leaving Gordon to pick up the pieces. From here on it is all about how Maggie gets through life with this illness.

The play explores the ups and downs of emotions ranging from forgetfulness to anger, from calm to frustration; especially when she tells Michael she will never forget him, only towards the end saying “you will always be in my heart, if not my head”

As with the illness there is no end but this play is not all gloom and doom; it has humour a-plenty and is extremely thought provoking. Sadly it is only on until Saturday.

The cast are magnificent and have such an affinity with each other that you don’t feel that you are at a performance but in the house next door. Eithne Brown as Maggie is quite magnificent, drawing everything out of the character with such apparent ease, Tony Timberlake as Gordon is a superb calming influence and Maxine Finch as Jo is your ideal neighbour! 

The set by Frances O’Connor uses a ceiling of post-it notes which fall at the time Maggie needs a reminder, and creates a perfect setting. 

A lot of people have had an input into the creation of this play and it shows to good effect. A five star play with a five star performance.