I joined friends at the Chapel Studios on Lord Mayor's Walk, York, to see a production of David Storey's Home; a debut by One-Off Productions.

The performance, by an extremely talented and committed cast, was remarkable.

As director Ossie Heppell intended, the performance was highly entertaining, hilariously comic and at once powerfully moving and poignant. The cast skilfully confronted the delicate issue of mental instability with poise and sensitivity. They navigated a tough script with such natural fluidity that the audience was completely drawn in.

John White's portrayal of the bewildered Jack, a man struggling to maintain dignity within the confines of a psychiatric hospital, jogs perkily alongside Alan Booty's heartbreakingly vulnerable Harry as they skirt the subject of their condition.

In contrast, Marjorie and Kathleen, played by Beryl Nairn and Anne Cooper, seem to take comfort in squaring up to the reality of their situation with most excellent timing and physical comedy. Paul Stonehouse as the surly and menacing Alfred was equally skilled in the subtlety of his brilliant comic performance.

It should not go unnoticed that this production was conceived entirely with the help of volunteers and proceeds will be donated to The Alzheimer's Society.

Emma Jane Whelan,

West Garth,

Melbourne, York.

Updated: 10:55 Friday, June 21, 2002