Spirit Level. The Caxton Players. Caxton Theatre, Grimsby 05 June 2025.

Byron Young, Steve Skipworth and Vivienne Sargent in Spirit Level.

The latest offering from the Caxton Players is a delightful comedy by Pam Valentine - Spirit Level which first premiered in 2010. This is a play which will suffer if I give too many spoilers out during the review but I know that audiences will be howling with laughter at certain points which you need to witness first hand. Debra West directs this funny, poignant production and it is clear that she has given careful instruction and direction to her cast to ensure that they avoid acting in profile and facing upstage, the bane of many amateur productions, in all honesty. Instead, West's cast are careful and considered in their placement on stage whilst holding conversations with fellow cast members and the production is all the better for it.

Gemma Quickfall, Michael Howard and Steve Skipworth

The set is a simple living room in a cottage, and I must say one or two lines do not ring true because of the width of the stage at the Caxton Theatre, but if you are willing to suspend your disbelief to just enjoy the show, then you will have a tremendous evening of comic theatre. The room has simple furnishing, a sofa, and arm chair, a few plant stands and a bookcase, along with a well-stocked drinks trolley and a writing desk. The cottage is nicely decorated with simple colours and tasteful paintings and knick-knacks.

Jack and Susie plot behind Simon and Flic

The play opens with author Jack Cameron, played by Byron Young, attempting to get a few minutes of sleep only to be interrupted by wife Susie, played by Vivienne Sargent. All is not however as it would appear. Jack has been unable to sleep owing to the fact that he and Susie are both dead and haunting their own home. Their restless spirits torment those who rent the cottage from seedy estate agent Mark Webster played by Steve Skipworth. Though we, the audience can see Jack and Susie, those living characters in the play cannot and therein lies much of the humour and the reason why such a wide space is needed for the ghosts to move around unimpeded by "the living" on the stage.

Vivienne Sargent and Byron Young

Skipworth's estate agent has arrived to provide a viewing of the property to a young couple, Simon (Michael Howard) and Flic (Gemma Quickfall). Simon learns that it had been home to his favourite author, the late Jack Cameron, and the couple decide that they HAVE to live there. Flic, is hiding the fact that she is pregnant in case the agency won't rent to them because of the child and Simon is trying to write his own best seller following in the footsteps of Jack. The ghostly couple approve - after a fashion - and the deal is done for the rental. Along their way, we also meet Flic's hideous mother, Marcia (Diane Grimshaw) and Jo Forster as the Guardian Angel.

Steve Skipworth, Michael Howard and Diane Grimshaw

The cast is uniformly strong and respond well to West's neat and precise direction. There is no weak link in the cast and it is a delight to watch masters of their craft performing at the top of their game. Diane Grimshaw is wonderful as the mother-law from Hell and you will wince as she throws her acid barbs around judging everyone and everything by her own standards in a hilarious performance. The friction between Marcia and Simon really calls upon Michael Howard to perform at his best and it is clear to note how far he has come on his own acting journey which he attributes to working with Acting Lincs. He is a confident performer whose line delivery gets better every show. His chemistry with Gemma Quickfall is excellent too and they make a very credible young couple with very real problems to deal with in their relationship. Quickfall's Flic is clearly the more capable partner in the marriage and she demonstrates the perfect amount of affection and comic disdain for her husband throughout.

Diane Grimshaw as Marcia and Gemma Quickfall as Flic.

Steve Skipworth has the hardest job of all in ignoring the mischievous spirits as they deliberately torment him in full view of the audience, but obviously not seen by Webster his character. He sustains his incredulity and fear brilliantly and never goes too far OTT. The other cameo role within the show is that of the Guardian Angel played wonderfully by Jo Forster clad in tweed and demonstrating more than a whiff of Margaret Rutherford in her stance and bearing, whether intentionally or not.

Byron Young, Jo Forster and Vivienne Sargent

Finally, there is the pairing of the spirits. Young and Sargent work fabulously together as Jack and Susie. Their squabbling and bickering is both believable and forgivable and they really have fun during this play. They could not have been better paired for the roles as they tie the whole production together so neatly taking Jack and Susie on a real journey throughout the events of the play. Its clear that ghostly couple adore each other in death as in life and cannot bear to be parted after their all-too-early demise in a boating accident and the affection Young and Sargent portray is heartwarming.

Vivienne Sargent as Susie

Their story reminds us that life is short and you have to make of it what you can, when you can. There is no point in waiting for a tomorrow that you could be cruelly denied of. That is a lesson we could all learn in life. Life is too short not to enjoy yourselves and to indulge in a little light-hearted entertainment - so why not get down to the Caxton Theatre to enjoy this little gem of a production which runs from Saturday 7 until Saturday 14 June? Tickets are available online and from the usual outlets. Performances start at 7:30 pm.

Byron Young as Jack

Andy Evans 5 June 2025

Photography copyright Andy Evans Photography any usage must be credited.