Su Pollard shows her grittier side

The play will visit Theatr Hafren in Newtown on April 8.

Best known for her star-turn as Peggy in the BAFTA award-winning sitcom Hi-de-Hi!, the much- loved Su Pollard has had a career in showbusiness spanning four decades. She returns to the stage as Birdie in Harpy, a play originally commissioned for her, now under new direction by Abigail Anderson.

The play explores one woman’s struggles with mental health and loneliness, manifesting itself through extreme hoarding. The bittersweet dramatic comedy showcases a grittier side to the Su Pollard of the eighties, asking the audience to look beyond prejudices against those who appear to disrupt the norm.

The neighbours call Birdie a harridan and a harpy even though most of them have never even met her, seeing her obsessive hoarding as detrimental to the value of their own homes.

Su said: "For Birdie, saving what others regard as the junk from her own life allows her to make sense of the world around her; her possessions are memories of a time past. Shunned by conventional society, she regards it as her duty to salvage these tiny histories that without her would be entirely forgotten."

"I am thrilled to be able to bring Harpy to a wider audience across the UK, having first performed it at the Edinburgh Festival in 2018. I hope the new audiences enjoy themselves as much as I’m enjoying revisiting this complex character. Philip Meeks’ writing is both funny and poignant, and many people have remarked at how relatable the content is, openly tackling issues of mental health."

This revival comes at a time when social isolation among the elderly is being recognised as a serious issue, having a significant impact on their wellbeing. Recent statistics from Age UK have shown that 1.9 million elderly people feel alone or invisible, due to a lack of companionship, relationships, or the basic human need for conversation.