Four Sunsets

Presented by TS Theatre Productions

Swindon Arts Centre Saturday 17th September

Having the audience in hysterics one minute and tears the next, local writer Peter Hynds had the crowd eating out of the palm of his actresses' hands, in an astounding new play.

It was enticing from start to finish. The applause at the end of the night seemed to go on forever. All four actresses deserved the acclaim as each one of them had given their all throughout the whole emotional performance.

The first act started with four friends on holiday enjoying the white sands of Bali. The girlies had the audience in stitches with their wild antics (including hilarious talk about the male anatomy).

The focus then fell on each character indivdually, revealing what nightmares they were secretly battling with.

Serious subjects were dealt with, including abuse and bullying, but the crux of the drama was the traumatising issue of cancer returning after remission. 

You could literally have heard a pin drop when the character in question, played by the wonderful actress Ella Thomas, said: "It's come back. It's come back."

This play took you from one extreme to the other, belly laughter to silence. It was literally like a switch had been flicked from a funny production to a serious drama.

This this cast of four truly were fantastic. They really seemed to feel every single emotion they portrayed - and we did as well.

In the second half the characters explored the subject of cancer in more depth, how everyone deals with it when it is brought out in to the open.

There were still some laughs but the poignant moment came when the audience was told how the sufferer had moved to India to live out the rest of her days.

Dealing with this horrendous, deadly disease is the sort of scenario that so many people can relate to - many have known someone who has battled with it. So it was no surprise when you could hear the sniffles around the room as the audience got sucked into the storyline.

We were all so mesmerised that when the play finally came to an end, it was one of those moments where you let out a breath (not realising you were holding on to it) and say "wow".

This was such a brilliant play to watch. It's a genuine shame it was only on for one night. - Kelly Jobanputra