Gabrielle Drake has the gift of the Gab!

Pat McEvoy meets Gabrielle Drake

“This play really brought Mrs Gaskell to life” enthused Pat Mcevoy of Bridport after the performance  “It was an exhilarating performance: using her letters, and extracts from the novels Mrs Gaskell was shown to us as a modern, spirited flesh and blood woman. I was so pleased to have a chance to meet Gabrielle afterwards” she added. “It made it a perfect afternoon.” After her stunning performance as Elizabeth Gaskell in Dear Scheherazade in the Matinee at the Marine Theatre on Sunday 2 March the audience were delighted to have the opportunity to meet Gabrielle Drake  at a cream tea. Among the audience was Diana Shervington, recently recovered from a fall that resulted in her breaking her hip, but she who as a relation of Jane Austen’s family had a special interest in this other leading literary figure.

Diana Shervington and Gabrielle Drake

TheatreFriends had organized the tea to round off the perfect Mother’s day treat, a matinee at 3pm followed by a delicious tea in the theatre. Among the audience were Ellen Simon from West Bexington and her daughter Leila  aged 17 from Sir John Colfox School in Bridport. Leila was delighted when Gabrielle invited her to go back stage to her dressing room to see how the corsets and hooped skirt created Gabrielle’s Victorian outline on stage. “I love costumes and learning how to make them” said Leila “so I was totally thrilled when Gabrielle offered to show me how a hoop skirt worked. Her costume was fascinating, the corset had been specially made for her so she could manage without a dresser. When she fell  to the floor during the play the hoop actually collapsed  with her, making it a very graceful movement”  

Leila and Gabrielle

Wendy and Matthew Freudenberg had come over from Taunton to see the show “It was a really powerful performance” Matthew said, and Wendy added  “I was pleased to come to a matinee, especially to as the  show was at 3pm, there was time to have lunch and have a walk to let digest before sitting down to enjoy the play!” More drama at the Marine Theatre on Friday 14th March with Pretty Witty Nell.