Say it with Flowers at Hull Truck

Sometimes, every older person must make way for younger ones. Fresh blood has an irresistible allure, and eventually – hard as it may be – the older ones must move aside.

It's a hard fact of life, but one that must be learnt by the am dram group in Jane Thornton's new Hull Truck play, Say it with Flowers. The OAP thesps have lost their church hall rehearsal space to a young dance class, as the church hopes to give the young people 'a chance'. Mavis (61), of the Parish Players, is unimpressed with this and wonders who is giving the older people 'a chance'. She hasn't learnt that life lesson yet – despite her 61 years – nor does she realise that she's had her whole life for her chance, and has spent ten good years having that chance. Maybe it is time she let the kids have a go.

The lesson of young blood's appeal also needs to be learnt at Hull Truck itself. Without wanting to get back on the soapbox...Say it with Flowers is another safe Truck main stage play, their standard fare. It's a well-made play, one tailored to the Truck's loyal audience, one that does what you'd expect, ie. it gets laughs while telling its story. But it's hardly daring, innovative or new.

Artistic Director John Godber has directed his wife's play, which features a Hull couple whose marriage becomes increasingly shaky under suburban pressures. Another late middle-aged/elderly couple has one member house-bound by illness. There's a gay thespy-type – brilliant James Hornsby has fun being subtly camp – who seems to be prejudiced against and single. On the edges, a young Goth is at college. For the first time, I wondered if a major Hull Truck character would ever go off to University, or fall in love, or try to get an apprenticeship, or go house-hunting or clubbing. Or anything a young person would do. It seems that, at present, any main Hull Truck character on their main stage has to be at least 45 and is probably in a failing marriage rather than doing anything likely to lead to a wedding.

Don't get me wrong: as ever, Hull Truck has a solid, creditable production on its hands, one that keeps the laughs rippling and isn't scared to unleash pent-up suburban fury. The plot is pretty sedate, and Thornton seems content to let it trickle along rather than pick up any speed – despite sudden shifts is conversations. The set – as they often are at the Truck – is detailed and all-encompassing, spot-on, in fact. But we're still got a middle-class, middle-aged Hull onstage. Now, I live in that city, and there are an awful lot of people not in that category. Hull Truck is brilliant at showing the audience themselves onstage – that's why they keep coming back (some women behind me even talked about golf – how sedate and middle-of-the-road!) – but I for one would be much more impressed if every now and then those people saw someone else onstage.

On the night I went, the auditorium was barely half-full – the Truck surely can't afford to sell so few seats in their new venue. It looks like the theatre must learn the same lessons as the Parish Players.