Shuggy Boats review – 60th birthday party brings a sexual revelation

2026-03-11 - 11:53

Live theatre, Newcastle When Maeve becomes a sexagenarian she rethinks her identity – and her 40-year marriage – in this surprisingly breezy drama You can imagine a Victorian melodrama in which a respectable wife causes consternation by eloping with a woman. It would have provocative themes about feminism, fulfilment and hypocrisy. The Lord Chamberlain would almost certainly ban it. Fast forward to Tynemouth, 2021, and the same story has no such clout. On her 60th birthday, Maeve (Phillippa Wilson) is reminded of her first kiss – not with the amiable Jocka (Dave Johns), her husband of nearly 40 years, but with the long lost Helen (Charlie Hardwick, appearing on screen). The memory is the jolt Maeve needs to upturn everything and pursue her true sexual identity. At Live theatre, Newcastle, until 21 March Continue reading...