London Classic Theatre today announces that Carole Dance will now play the role of Doris Partington in the UK tour of Charlotte Keatley’s My Mother Said I Never Should. Dance steps into the role as Fiz Marcus has had to withdraw due to unforeseen health issues. The full company is completed by Felicity Houlbrooke (Rosie Metcalfe), Kathryn Ritchie (Jackie Metcalfe) and Connie Walker (Margaret Bradley). Artistic Director of LCT, Michael Cabot, directs the production, which tours to 14 venues, opening at Theatre Royal Windsor on 25 September with performances at Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham, Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds and Gala Theatre, Durham from 11 September.
Set in Manchester, Oldham and London, My Mother Said I Never Should is a poignant, bittersweet story about love, jealousy and the price of freedom. The play details the lives of four women through the immense social changes of the twentieth century. Using a kaleidoscopic time structure, Charlotte Keatley’s story focuses on four generations of one family as they confront the most significant moments of their lives.
In 1940, Doris, a former teacher, encourages her nine-year-old daughter, Margaret, to mind her manners and practice the piano. In 1969, Margaret’s relationship with her own daughter is strained, as art student Jackie experiments with her new found sexual freedom. When Jackie becomes pregnant 18 and has baby Rosie, a decision is made that will affect all their lives irrevocably.