Feelgood evening of fifties romance

Margaret (Christine Cox) and Milton (Robin Bowerman) get to know each other in A Fine Bright Day Today at the Coliseum, to July 9

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A FINE BRIGHT DAY TODAY, Oldham Coliseum

IT seems virtually every new play these days is an “event”. If it’s not an essential, life-changing experience, theatres hardly want to know.

In which case Philip Goulding’s new play, which closes the Coliseum spring season, might appear slight to the point of inconsequence.

Kevin Shaw snappily directs a three-hander set round a kitchen table about two lonely people and a daughter. Think Radio Four Afternoon Play crossed with romantic novel and you’re in the right area.

But apart from a slight roughness in the story’s development, what it lacks in profundity it more than makes up for in charm. And for “firsts”, this is probably the first stage play to use a diabetic faint for romantic reasons.

It’s certainly, ultimately, a feelgood evening. What’s more, it’s a romance not about the thirtysomething daughter, Rebecca (Samantha Power), but about her mum Margaret (Christine Cox), and the lodger, US amateur painter Milton (the excellent Robin Bowerman). Romance among cinquagenarians; what’s the world coming to?

The setting is the North Lancs coast: mum lost her trawlerman husband years before and her life has been on hold since. She’s become comfortably miserable. Into this drops, courtesy of the daughter, lodger Milton, a lonely American on a painting holiday

They meet, she dislikes, she gets used to and then admires the spontaneity of Milton — but ultimately turns down his invitation of a trip, a visit to his US home, or, you know, a life with him thereafter.

The story is perhaps a little rushed: without warning mum makes a slightly drunken pass at her circumspect lodger. Not many scenes later they are talking about a life together.

Mum is a miserable soul, giving Christine Cox quite a job to convince us she is worth the effort (though her final lonely disappointment is touching). Milton is the sort of guy you instantly like, and then get to like even more. There’s a lot going on in Bowerman’s friendly face, and it illuminates the play. Samantha Power, likewise, is charming as the daughter; outgoing, feisty and likeable from the start.

The set is another lovely Alison Heffernan standard room, complete with Seventies kitchen units and a nice painting of the sea, and Alan Williams’ specially-composed incidental music adds much to the general atmosphere.

Like all good romances, there’s a revelation about the visitor and as for the ending, well, I did say this was a feelgood show.