CityLife

Naughton's classic at Octagon

BILL Naughton's first play, Annie And Fanny: From Bolton To Rome, was the first play ever to be performed at the Octagon theatre in Bolton. So it's only right and proper that another one of his plays, Spring And Port Wine, should form part of the Octagon's ongoing 40th birthday celebrations this year.

Naughton's catalogue of plays, including All In Good Time (later filmed as The Family Way and ingeniously revived recently as Rafta, Rafta) and, of course, Alfie, have proved popular and enduring. But none, perhaps, is more popular than Spring And Port Wine.

One of the great northern comedy-dramas, beautifully depicting changes in attitudes and society in the late Sixties, it tells the story of the Crompton family, and strict disciplinarian Rafe Crompton (played in this production by Russell Dixon), who rules his wife and their four children with a rod of iron.

But times are changing, and daughter Hilda rebels by refusing to eat a herring which is then, at Rafe's insistence, brought out at every subsequent meal. This incident is the catalyst for the revealing of some home truths and challenges Rafe's role as patriarch of the family.

But just as the family seems to be unravelling, the Cromptons learn that across the generations, it is family love that is the most important thing in life.

The upcoming Octagon production is directed by Noreen Kershaw (pictured), who has directed the theatre's superb current production of Road and also features several members from the cast of Road including Julie Riley, Joanna Higson, Eve Robertson, James Cartwright and Paul Simpson, who was also in the Octagon's smash hit world premiere of And Did Those Feet.

Pretty organised

"I tend to be pretty organised when it comes to rehearsals," laughs Noreen of the overlap and potential exhaustion. "In fact, I hadn't originally expected to be directing Road. Mark (Babych, the Octagon's artistic director) had contacted me to ask if I'd be interested in directing Spring And Port Wine, which, for some reason, I'd thought was set in the Fifties!

"While I was reading it, Mark asked me if I'd like to have a go at Road as well, which also looks at another fascinating time of upheaval in working class lives. I know people say this all the time, but the writing really is so good."

Although she's starred in many hit programmes over the years, including a recent appearance as WPC Phyllis Dixon in Life On Mars, Noreen says that she primarily thinks of herself as a director these days.

"Things come to me out of the blue and they're always fascinating," she enthuses, "such as the chance to direct the live Liverpool Nativity just recently. But I loved playing Phyllis because I loved her."

She's directed many episodes of Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Shameless but recently graduated to directing her first full-length feature film Act Of Grace. "That came out of a chat with Alan Field at a Shameless wrap party and he then managed to raise the finance for it himself without the help of any studio," she marvels.

"They're taking an early version of it to Cannes this year, but I don't think they'll be taking me along to help sell it."

Spring And Port Wine is at the Bolton Octagon from Thursday, April 3 until Saturday, April 26. £8.50 - £18.50. Call 01204 520661.