A Letter from the General

A Letter from The General

A play written by Maurice McLouglin

Performed by Exeter Drama Company

On Friday 27th June 2025 at Longdown Village Hall, Longdown

Directed by James Hyde

As the curtains open, oriental music could be heard. The audience are greeted with a box set depicting the common room of a nun’s jungle mission. Set in the rear flat was a window, showing a mountainous skyline, beautifully painted on the rear back cloth, with a door leading out to the compound.  All flats were painted in grubby cream and a side door, stage left, led to the nun’s quarters.  The stage props were sparse other than a large bookcase and cupboard, which overspills every time it is opened, with another bookcase upstage left. A hardwood table is set front of stage with two chairs. A large crucifix hangs prominently on the wall.

Set in the 1950’s, a Catholic mission station run by a small group of nuns in the Far East is threatened due to a spreading revolution within the country. The children they care for have already been removed and they are threatened by soldiers arriving to remove them. The play deepens due to the underlying storyline of Sister Magdalen, who looked after Mei Cheng, the governing General of the revolution, when he was a child and a letter he sends her. The play was written in 1964 and showed statements and observations of that time.

The script required real emotion from its actors and a true sense of belief. From her first entrance the actor playing Sister Henry gave us raw emotion when trying to remain calm in front of the novices but showing her vulnerability when threatened by Captain Lee. The anger and impatience performed in her scene with Ruth Stilton, where Ruth is outwardly racist,  was cleverly acted and controlled. The calmness of the Reverend Mother was beautifully portrayed by the actor playing her. With a gentle presence and beautiful clear diction, this actor controlled her scenes with the right amount of pace and control. Sister Lucy, a young nun with little experience and maturity was given life by this actor who projected well if a little quick with her lines at times. I liked the contrast with Sister Bridget, appearing slightly older and protective as she tries to keep Sister Lucy calm. These two worked together well.

Arthur Stilton is the British Consul and he and his wife, Ruth, seek a place to stay at the mission before they board a boat to leave the country. The actor playing Arthur had aa perfect English accent and was pompous as the character should be. The fight between him and Capt. Lee was realistic ( I believe a stunt specialist assisted with this). Ruth Stilton was so watchable and believable as a grieving mother having lost her only son in the Second World War as she spits out her disparaging remarks to her useless husband  and then her genuine compassion for Father Schiller.   Captain Lee, part of the revolutionary force ordered to remove the nuns is another complicated character who, having removed the Ling family from their home in the compound to sleep in their home himself, discovers they were lepers. Portraying a ruthless thug, a dreadfully frightened man and a drunk was not easy but this actor showed all these emotions to the audience, leaving us with some empathy for him.

Throughout the production Sister Magdalen, Magdalen O’Hara and Godmother to Mei Cheng,  waits for a letter from him hoping he will save the mission. The letter arrives via the British Consul and is not what she is expecting. She lies to the rest and , sacrificing herself by staying and allowing the escaped prisoner, Father Schiller, to take her place disguised as a nun. Magdalen, with a lilting Irish accent,  was played with tenderness by the actor portraying her, as she slowly moved around the stage using a walking stick.  Father Schiller had a natural Germanic intonation to his voice and was believable as a beaten prisoner.  

The costumes looked right for the period. The nun’s habits were authentic as was the khaki uniform of Captain Lee with his red epaulettes and green cap. Ruth’s green and white flowery tea dress with red belt, pearls, handbag and coiffured 50’s style hair along with her capri pants in Act II gave the piece added glamour. 

Subtle touches with the lighting such as the flickering candles on wall sconces in Act II, Scene I helped with showing different times of the day and night. 

The director did well with quite a lengthy script which needed great annunciation from everyone on stage so the audience could follow the story. This was achieved and I especially liked the use of minimal movement and the stillness of some scenes, especially between the Reverend Mother and Captain Lee.  This was a strong and well produced piece of theatre from Exeter Drama Company.

My grateful thanks to Ian and the company for such a warm welcome, as always.

Lyn Burgoyne Noda Representative District 5 ( Mid and East Devon )

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