Royalty Theatre
22nd Sept 2026
The Royalty Theatre launched the new season with a very English comedy - Outside Edge - set in the club house of the local cricket club on the day they play their bitter rivals. Under the pressure to beat the visiting team, cracks begin to appear and all is not quite so gentlemanly on the pitch or in the clubhouse. Personalities clash and secrets are hinted at and then unveiled. Relationships crumble under the pressure to win - at life as well as cricket.
The characters are all a little bit larger than life - from Roger, the bombastic team captain, full of his own importance, cajoling and bullying his team (and his wife) into submission to Miriam, his wife, somewhat self effacing, but taking full pride in the quality of her teas, who knows that she is the only one keeping the club running smoothly and efficiently.
Then there is Bob, probably the best cricketer in the club but with a complicated personal life - juggling his ex-wife and his new wife, and bowing under the weight of trying to keep both wives and the club captain happy. Dennis is the lecherous womanizer, trying his luck with everyone's wife and girlfriend, while ignoring his own - though we never see his wife, she gets her revenge off stage. The men are all out to prove themselves to each other - better at cricket, better at their jobs, better cars, better houses, better wives...yet it is the women who re the winners - mostly - in this club, with the exception of Sharon, the wives tend to come out on top.
There are some laugh out loud moments in this play, and some cringeworthy moments too - it was first staged in 1979 so this is probably to be expected! Andrew Barella as Roger, and Lee Wilkins as Bob give commanding peformances and keep the comedy flowing. Lee and Kori Johnson (Miriam) also give excellent, performances of drunkenness....Bob's three small whiskies having a dramatic drunken effect, while Miriam slowly imbibes and entire bottle of wine and descends into a gentle inebriation - both upholding a tradition in local theatre for convincing drunken acting!
Overall this was an entertaining evening - (even if some of the entertainment came from the wobbly set - I'd recommend moving the chairs away from the wall a couple of inches!) very English, farcical, and funny yet truly identifiable characters - am sure anyone who has been a member of a sports club will recognise the types - and this is perhaps where the best humour is found - in recognising the truth in the people we see on stage.
Outside Edge runs until 26th September. Tickets are available online at www.royaltytheatre.co.uk or on the door.
Denise Sparrowhawk
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