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JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN Castle Players Village Hall Lytchett Matravers April 2002 
THIS oddly titled play is set on the twenty-fifth anniversary of James Dean’s death, when his ‘Disciples’ have met up to remember him at the Five & Dime store of their youth in a small, hot, dry and dusty Texas town.When your characters are swatting flies, arriving on stage soaked in sweat and drinking thirstily from coke bottles then it is safe to say you have succeeded in your task of conjuring up that world, and Alan Colclough’s excellent production left no stone unturned in its quest for realism. 
The oppressive atmosphere created by both the weather and long-hidden secrets soon to be revealed was beautifully realised by an accomplished cast who worked well together to form an impressive whole, and apart from one or two dodgy sound cues there was little to fault in this wholly enjoyable evening.There were some strong characterisations, especially Linsey O’Neill’s neurotic Mona, Val Holland’s bubbly Sissy, Denise Mallender’s bitchy Stella May, Carla Stewart’s mysterious Joanne and Nikki Brown’s glowing Edna Louise. Ellen Gainsford and Lisa Maule were superb as the younger Mona and Sissy and there were fine performances too from Morag Davenport (Juanita) and Matt Forkin (Joe). Linda Kirkman Courtesy of the Bournemouth Daily Echo CASTLE PLAYERS PRODUCE TOWERING PERFORMANCE 
COME back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, was a giant of a production from the well respected Lytchett Matravers based Castle Players.
It is a powerful play with some wonderful parts for women - eight in fact, with just one token man.Jimmy Dean tells the story of a group of women coming back to their roots in a small town in West Texas for a reunion after 25 years. They are all desperate to discover each other's secrets, whilst concealing their own, but in the end there are some spellbinding revelations. Sissy "if you've got 'em, bounce'em" played by Val Holland, just burst onto the stage, filling it with her exuberant personality, giving no hint of her character's past sadness. 
Denise Mallender usually directs, but proved that she is a vey fine actress. Her portrayal of the nouveau riche Stella May, was deliciously over the top.The major revelation of the evening concerned Joanne. This was Carla Stewart's first time with Castle Players, and she was perfect for the part of the character, whose persona in 1955 was called Joe! Nikki Brown made a very annoying Edna Louise, who made naivety an art form, which only proved how talented she has become. A southern drawl is one of the hardest American accents to sustain, but on the whole the cast made a brilliant job. Director Alan Colclough took some chances deliberately breaking some of the un-written rules of the theatre, and they worked. For instance, members of the cast turned their backs on the audience, and moved in front of each other. Just like real life. - Marilyn Ayres Broadstone and Poole Community Magazine The above pictures show the following players, in each case reading from left to right: (1) Morag Davenport, Denise Mallender, Nikki Brown, Val Holland, Carla Stewart, Linsey O'Neill, Ellen Gainsford, Lisa Maule and Matt Forkin (2) Nikki (3) Ellen, Matt and Lisa (4) Mogs, Linsey and Val in the foreground
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