The Autumn Road Retirement Village in Caulfield has a fiercely competitive bridge club, but with old age no bridge partnership lasts for long.

When Minnie loses her playing partner in an unfortunately swimming accident, Liraz is desperate for them to team up. An oddball story of kindly Jewish grandparents and raw ambition. Riotously funny and brilliantly original.

The cast of very accomplished and experiences actors lived up to their level as they presented this humorous and witty production.  

As Minnie, Elisa Gray is delightful, I loved her sarcastic humour as she played the old school great grandmother who constantly bickers with her husband and hilariously counts down to his ‘impending’ death so she can enjoy life as a widow.  Minnie also irritates her great granddaughter throughout the show and I loved the scenes between her and Rachel (played by Kirsty Hall), both actors had great chemistry and constantly provided a lot of entertainment.  

As Minnie’s bridge partner, Liraz, Karen Shnider is equally hilarious and heartwarming at the same time as she tries to enjoy her later life through playing bridge.  She brought loads of sarcasm to the rolewhich was a highlight, I loved the constant bickering between both women as it gave a sense of reality and relatability to the somewhat hidden friendship between the two.

As Morris, Minnie’s husband, Rob Coulson brought innocence to the role of the beaten down husband of Minnie.  Throughout the show he was submissive (in a good way) and often made the audience feel for him, I particularly enjoyed his sarcasm in the first act.  As the show progressed and his character opened up, his fragility was great to watch as he changed by the end of the show.

A comedic highlight was Rachel Negus as Norma, the nurse.  She played the role with heart and I really admired her ability to keep the role funny but also heartwarming.  

Finally as Ichabad, Liraz’s grandson, John Murphy was probably my favourite.  He played the role with naivety and fragility as he was trying to navigate his way through adult life, his sweetness and confusion, particularly toward the end of the show was often great to watch and I loved the chemistry between him and Kirsty Hall who played Rachel.    

Director Barbara Crawford is to be commended for producing a memorable production and a cast of strong performers.  Her staging was very effective and a very detailed set was very well designed.  

Minnie and Liraz plays until September 8.