The Ancient Secret of Youth and the Five Tibetans
Octagon Theatre, Bolton
3/5

THE HOARY old quest for eternal youth has been a rich source for many tales, from Eos pleading for eternal life from Zeus to Dorian Gray’s grotesque picture in the attic.

Jim Cartwright’s new play, in which embittered couple Penny (Denise Welch) and Doug (Tom Mannion) are facing the drift towards old age with fury and despair, ploughs the same furrow.

They’re joined by old university buddy Henry (Eric Potts) — an ageing lecturer who’s become something of a lech — to celebrate her 57th birthday, during which Penny laments the way older women are discarded not only in relationships but in the workplace too.

The reunion descends into a morass of sniping between the couple and, to lighten the mood, Henry gives Penny a book purporting to contain an ancient secret of eternal youth. The three agree to follow the rituals for a year and on Penny’s 58th birthday reconvene to check the results. Lo and behold... you’ll have to take a trip to the Octagon to find out.

Cartwight’s a great playwright with the ability to capture the inner feelings of his characters, especially women.

Unsurprisingly, Penny is the strongest figure in this piece and Welch (pictured) gives a powerful performance as the tormented older woman.

While on the surface the play appears to be a rage against old age, in reality it is more about love and relationships — the barbed wire of bitterness that binds Penny and Doug together has as much to do with a marriage falling apart as the journey towards old age.

Directed by David Thacker, it’s a bleak portrait of marriage and the dying of the light, leavened by some deft comic touches.

Cartwright’s held in great affection in the north for his contribution to regional theatre and that’s evidenced here in the enthusiastic reception The Ancient Secret gets from the audience at the end.

Runs until May 23, box office: octagonbolton.co.uk