Review: Birds of a Feather at the Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield

Tracey (Linda Robson) had just given birth in a stable, and their husbands had just been jailed - again.

Fast forward 14 years and they’re still living in Chigwell, except now David Cameron is Prime Minister and there is Facebook.

Sharon (Pauline Quirke) is single and has just been sacked from Lidl, while Tracey is estranged from her husband Darryl - because he’s dead, or that is at least what she has told their youngest son Travis.

Their man-eating neighbour Doreen is divorced from long-suffering husband Marcus and is now running a retirement home, for the ‘well-off elderly.’

Doreen (Lesley Joseph) is still wearing the same short dresses, impressive for a 66-year-old, and the show revolves around her finding herself at the centre of a murder case.

I was sceptical at first about whether such a much-loved sitcom would transfer well to the stage, but it does.

It’s a sleek and well-paced show that had me laughing all the way through.

The same chemistry is there between the three characters, along with some brilliant comedy moments.

What could be better than Sharon and Tracey having a karaoke session in the retirement home, singing the likes of Another One Bites The Dust and Stairway to Heaven?

The show, now on at Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre until 30th June, is a must see for anyone who was a fan of the TV show.

by Sam Chetwynd