Edward Alderton Theatre Home | News | This Season | Next Season | Bookings | Auditions | Members | Archive | History | Location | Links | Contact Us   Once a Catholic by Mary O'Malley Directed by Martin Heard 28 June - 5 July 1986 (7 performances) Innocent Mary Mooney, saucy Mary McGinty and pert Mary Gallagher encounter nuns, boys, Father Mullarkey, the facts of life and the corrupting influence of Elvis Presley. Bombarded by saints, sin and suffering, the girls battle their way through adolescence in the 1950s with a stubborn resolve not to give in... Cast Mother Peter Maureen Hardwen Mary Mooney Carol La Roche Mary McGinty Andrea Hampton Mary Gallagher Joanne Colyer Mary Flanagan Susan Hampton Mary Hennessy Debbie Bartlett Mary Murphy Lianne Glanville Mother Basil Penny Holland Mr Emanuelli Brian Withstandley Derek Paul Lay Father Mullarkey Tony Donnelly Mother Thomas Aquinas Stella Blackburn Cuthbert Paul Bolton     Crew Stage Manager Colin Goldberg Assistant Stage Managers Pamela Horton, Ross Holland Set Design Tim Hewitt Set Construction Tim Hewitt, Alan Heard, Ross Holland, Rosalind Sharp Backstage Coordinator Tim Hewitt Costumes Eleanor McEnery, Valerie Bartlett  Properties Rosalind Sharp Lighting  Phil Hedges Sound Bob Phillips The theatre would like to thank Bryants the School Shop of Bromley for their assistance   Review Funny - but there's a serious theme There is little doubt that Mary O'Malley's Once a Catholic, currently running at the Edward Alderton Theatre, Bexleyheath, is an extremely funny play, but it also has a serious underlying theme. Inspired by the author's own school days, the title would seem to imply, '...always a Catholic', but this is far from the case as it quickly emerges that children can survive in spite of, rather than because of, their upbringing and indoctrination. Martin Heard's direction, although a little longwinded at times, generally deals very sympathetically with the key issues. This is no bad thing since the colourful dialogue must always amuse rather than offend — startle rather than shock. In a consistently well balanced production two performances contribute enormously to the total effect. Carol La Roche, as innocent fifth former Mary Mooney, and Tony Donnelly as Father Mullarkey, are both utterly convincing. Miss La Roche is an actress of immense warmth and tenderness and both qualities are vividly demonstrated in a performance of the highest stature. Tony Donnelly's interpretation of a hard-line Irish priest is life-size and complete. I also liked Andrea Hampton and Joanne Colyer as the more sexually aware pupils Mary McGinty and Mary Gallagher, and as the two teaching nuns, Mothers Peter and Basil, Maureen Hardwen and Penny Holland both strike a sufficiently imposing and often frightening pose. Stella Blackburn, as the headmistress Mother Thomas Aquinas, is correctly more refined than her staff but I do think the role demands a harder, more brittle, approach. Paul Lay as the Teddy Boy Derek, just occasionally gives the impression of losing control in an otherwise studied interpretation, but Brian Withstandley, as music teacher Mr Emanuelli, gives a completely controlled picture of a bitter and quietly sinister old man. Colin Shaw Kentish Times | 3 July 1986