Wendy Gardner celebrates a half-century with The Centralian Players

4:50pm Friday 9th May 2008

HAVING clocked up more than 190 productions in 75 years, The Centralian Players continues its impressive run this month with Richard Harris' relationship comedy Two and Two Make Sex.

Written 35 years ago, Two and Two Make Sex sat well with the popular 70s comedies of the time such as No Sex Please, We're British. Producer Wendy Gardner, who will have been with the company for 50 years this autumn, says the play has lost none of its appeal.

She says: "A middle-aged man falling for a younger woman is a well established comic scenario, but there's nothing contentious about it. It's not quite a farce, but almost."

As the story goes, George is having an affair with Jane as he approaches a mid-life crisis. George's wife, Clare, is vaguely aware that there is a problem and decides to stoke up the fire in her marriage by having a fling with Nick, who turns out to be Jane's boyfriend.

Wendy is the longest standing member of the amateur theatre group, which was formed in 1933 at the Old Central School in Derby Road. She made her entrance in Terence Rattigan's Separate Tables in September 1958 and has now clocked up 90 roles for the society.

Most recently, she produced two slightly controversial plays, Memory of Water and Love Me Slender.

"This play isn't controversial," Wendy adds. "I'm hoping it attracts people looking for something a bit salacious, but it's not really like that, it's all done in a lighthearted way."

Two And Two Make Sex is at Henderson Hall, High Street, Abbots Langley from Thursday, May 15 to Saturday, May 17 at 7.45pm. Details: www.thecentralians.co.uk

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