Slay Belles at The Tabard Theatre
Ad - A sharp, intimate, dark comedy drama set backstage, at the Palace Theatre, Fleetwood on Christmas Eve 2025
Photograph by Leon Britton
Slay Belles, running 12–14 March 2026 at the Tabard Theatre is a sharp, intimate, dark comedy drama set backstage, at the Palace Theatre, Fleetwood on Christmas Eve 2025. Beneath the glitter, boos and bravado, the play examines truth, loyalty, power and what happens when carefully constructed identities begin to fracture.
At its centre is Linda Godfrey (Catherine Rice), a faded ’80s sitcom star once adored by millions. When we meet her, she has just returned from a pre-show visit to the local children’s hospital ahead of a demanding two-show day. Within minutes she must readjust her crown and step back on stage as the Wicked Queen.
Drafted in at the last minute by producer Charlie Delamere (Paul Winterford), Linda is determined to reassert her authority. Charlie, outwardly genial and keen to keep the production afloat, appears slightly hapless as he attempts to maintain calm. Yet beneath that easy manner lies a man carrying unresolved trauma and navigating his own uneasy relationship with control. As tensions rise between stage calls, their polite professionalism shifts into a subtle struggle for dominance. Meanwhile, Super-fan Peter’s devotion keeps the past alive, whilst crew member Doug’s loyalty proves disturbingly misplaced. Peter and Doug are both played by George C Francis.
Adding further complexity is Cassie (Anna-Lisa Maree), Linda’s daughter, whose presence forces long-buried truths into the open. Generational differences surface as expectations, disappointments and loyalties collide. In the pressurised intimacy of the dressing room, illusion frays and reality pushes insistently through.
Written and directed by Anna-Lisa Maree, a strong LGBTQ+ thread runs through the piece. The production features the vocal presence of American drag performer (Kris Andersson) whose role is integral to the narrative, confronting the legacy of historical homophobia within performance culture. The play acknowledges theatre’s dual history as both a sanctuary for queer identity and a space shaped by prejudice, adding weight and contemporary relevance to the unfolding drama.
Blending biting humour with emotional precision, Slay Belles balances flashes of high camp with moments of stark vulnerability. It is a timely exploration of relevance, reinvention and the fragile cost of holding on to power when the spotlight begins to fade.
Staged within the intimate confines of the Tabard Theatre, the production draws audiences into unsettling proximity with every glance, silence and subtle shift in power. The stage may sustain the illusion, but in Slay Belles it is behind closed doors that truth quietly, and inexorably, takes hold.
Photograph by Leon Britton
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