By Dave
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRWHN9UmImc
Available until: Unknown
It seems like lockdown has inspired a
lot of people to reconnect with old friends. I don’t know if it’s just the
boredom getting to us or the thought that we might never see them again if we
don’t get in touch. But it happens and it’s usually either a damp squib or it’s
really amazing. No middle ground. At least, it doesn’t seem that way.
The two women in this scene were once very close but like a lot of people, they’ve grown apart. One (played by Dianne Pilkington) invites the other to have a conversation on Zoom. The other one (Carley Stenson) hasn’t even downloaded Zoom, she prefers Netflix with her husband (I think she means literal Netflix).
The conversation begins and it’s
awkward; stilted. You get the impression a lot has gone on between these two
women. It’s not awkward enough to make you want to stop watching but you
definitely wouldn’t want to be in the same room as either of them for this
conversation. Mark Goldthorp has written both characters well and I really like
some of the choices he’s made as a director, sometimes allowing you to see just
one woman’s face so you can see her more clearly and can only guess what the
other one is thinking.
Dianne and Carley are both great. One
is hurting. One is mistrustful. You’ll have to watch it to find out more (and
unfortunately, we don’t get the full story) but it’s really interesting to
watch because you don’t know which way it’s going to go. Dianne tells a very
moving story about working on a COVID ward. Carley is slightly sharper and her
reactions really keep you guessing.
It’s a great scene and one which I’m
sure a lot of people will identify with.
I actually saw both these women at the
start of their careers. Which obviously wasn’t that long ago. I saw Dianne as
understudy Factory Girl in Les Miserables. It was one of my first
musicals. I was quite interested in the understudies because I hadn’t been to
many musicals and they probably hadn’t had many performances in the roles they
were covering so it was kind of like we were both newbies. So I watched out for
Dianne but I couldn’t actually see very much from my seat so I wasn’t sure if I
saw her or not but I’m sure she was great. It’s difficult to imagine her not
being great. She’s gone on to star in musicals including Wicked and Mamma
Mia.
Carley played Steph in Hollyoaks. She was
brought in as Zara’s Best Mate and she didn’t have any storylines of her own
for what seemed like ages but she kept on acting the others off the screen.
Finally she got the storyline she deserved and now she has a great career onstage
and so things have turned out well for her too.
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