Hundreds enjoyed the closing night of Maldon Drama Group's latest production, Steaming, last Saturday (April 22) – featuring an all-female cast, except one off-stage voice.

Directed by Gill Peregrine, the cast collaborated seamlessly against their appropriately dingy Turkish Lounge set.

Award-winning cast member Carey Brown opens the show as Violet, manager of the run-down public baths, tidying to Olivia Newton John's 'Physical' – immediately placing the audience in the production's 1980s setting. The stalwart has worked at the baths for 18 years.

Alan Ireland plays Bill, the disembodied off-stage voice of the steam room's useless caretaker. Violet curses, "Bleedin' place, falling apart – Bill does bugger all!"

Violet (played by Carey Brown) has worked at the public baths for 18 years. (Photo: David Weller)

Josie (Heather Sims) arrives with serious boyfriend and money troubles. Seemingly, the two go hand in hand.

Patient Violet offers her advice: "If your purse's empty love, you've got to put something in it."

At first glance, certain attitudes towards the issues of weight gain, periods and what I hesitate to describe as "women's issues" appear slightly dated but are reflective of the production's over 40-year vintage.

Through Dawn's (Karen Smith) humorous yet strained relationship with her well-meaning but old-fashioned mum, Mrs Meadow (Stephanie Ireland), we get a sense of the postmodern feminism emerging at the time.

Mrs Meadow (Stephanie Ireland) is ultra-protective of her daughter (Karen Smith) due to a traumatic incident from Dawn's past. (Photo: David Weller)

It is hinted throughout the story that Dawn has been a victim of abuse while working at the local police station 16 years previously. In a touching yet tragic moment, Mrs Meadow tells Violet she hopes to outlive her daughter, even though she would miss her, because: "If I go first, I don't know who'll look after her."

This sensitive moment of vulnerability is one of the first emotionally poignant parts of many to come. While Mrs Meadow does give her daughter a hard time ("Shut up, Dawn!") it is clear she wants the best for Dawn.

Nancy (Ghislaine Davis) is introduced as a woman whose confidence was wounded by her unfaithful and unloving ex-husband. She and Jane (Viki Hayman) have been friends since they were very young. However, 35-year-old mature student Jane is much more of a free spirit than her family-focused friend.

Nancy (Ghislaine Davis) and Jane (Viki Hayman) are old friends, who remain close despite leading radically different lives. (Photo: David Weller)

Nancy later says: "I may only be a woman, but I've given birth to a man and that's the ultimate success."

Until now, she lived life for her family but - through her new friends at the baths - Nancy finds a renewed sense of self-worth.

The women, Josie in particular, talk candidly about sex, orgasms, and the "world of good" cunnilingus can do – until Mrs Meadow chimes in with worries about her missing cat.

Later, Josie arrives following a harrowing domestic with her boyfriend, who beat her repeatedly - calling her a "prostitute".

She tells Violet: "I just want someone to look after me."

Josie is generally upbeat and fancy-free, but a more damaged, sensitive part of her personality is expertly tapped into by Heather Sims. (Photo: David Weller)

Heather Sims delivers a touching performance as Josie – with occasional input from Violet. This contrasts remarkably with the usually jolly Josie, who says things like "I wish my Johnny had gone to university... instead of Borstal".

From their overlapping conversations, it's clear each woman leads an entirely different life.

Between the topics of domestic abuse and psychological issues, Steaming does not shy away from gripping and genuine drama, interspersed with light-hearted humour. This is shown shortly after a distressed Josie tells of her desperation for a decent man.

She says: "At the moment, all I'm going to get on my gravestone is 'she was a good f**k'!"

"Some people won't even get that," Violet retorts.

The realisation that women (shockingly) might want more from life than being a mum and serving a husband, is nowhere near as revelatory or controversial as it may have been upon the play's 1981 premiere. It shows how far we've come, looking back in 2023, although there is still a way to go.

The Turkish lounge acts as a sanctuary for the ladies to meet and discuss their problems in a warm environment (quite literally). (Photo: David Weller)

Just as the audience comes to appreciate how vital the baths are for the ladies - who go there to socialise, seek advice, and put the world to rights – Violet breaks the news that the council has decided to shut it down. The occupants are given six weeks' notice, after which the council intends to turn it into a branch library - remember those?

It's another reminder that the play is set in a very different time. While Maldon and Burnham are fortunate to have retained their local libraries, many others have been lost due to government cutbacks over the last decade or so.

But what resonates most about the prospect of losing a popular community asset is the ladies' resolve to fight back and protect it.

Josie and Nancy seemingly come from different worlds - but soon realise they have a lot more in common than they previously thought. (Photo: David Weller)

Meanwhile, Josie and Nancy fall out over their conflicting approaches to life, and the tension rises until Violet chimes in with another well-timed anecdote. The two come from vastly different worlds. Nancy was raised comfortably and taught to be sensible; Josie battled poverty, teenage pregnancy, and classism – but she was sexually liberated.

Attitudes about a woman's "place in the home" are laid bare – exposed for their archaic ignorance.

All the ladies, except Dawn, discuss the issues of motherhood. The audience gets a sense that Mrs Meadow is holding her daughter back – ostensibly for her own protection, but Dawn clearly yearns to be her own woman.

As closure looms, references to old-age pensioners and those who can't afford to heat their homes and baths eerily mirror the ongoing Cost of Living Crisis.

In a last-ditch effort to protect their beloved baths, the ladies decide to occupy the place. They leap into the swimming pool in defiance.

As she prepares to join them, Violet shouts: "And the council thinks they stand a chance against a bunch of women like us!"

The ladies of the public baths are not prepared to give up their beloved home-from-home without a fight. (Photo: David Weller)

Regarding the production itself, perhaps some music during set changes or quieter scenes could help maintain the pace?

Overall, the show was entertaining, witty, and tremendously well-acted. I very much look forward to Maldon Drama Group's next production.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5 stars - very good)

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