An Evening of Alan Bennett

SAY SOMETHING HAPPENED.

The year is 1982. How things have changed since June, played by Gemma Charles, working for the council, would actually call on elderly people, anyone of pensionable age, to put their names on a register as persons at risk. She came over as ‘the person at risk’ herself being very unsure how to cope with the interview and eventually breaking down under the stress whilst her elderly couple, Elizabeth Toon  as Mam and John Croot as Dad certainly didn’t think they needed any help and had no intention of being placed on any register. Apart from a few prompts this piece was fun to watch, Mam busying herself making tea providing scones whilst Dad filled June in with the family history. The set was a typical sitting room of a working class family well set out to allow movement around the furniture.

A CHIP IN THE SUGAR – A MONOLOGUE

Graham Batchelor played Graham, a middle-aged bachelor, with a mother fixation. It came over well that he suffered from insecurity. I lost track of how many separate scenes took place, but the whole covered a number of weeks during which he explained that mother had met an ‘old flame’ and was contemplating marriage and that Graham would have to move out of her home. It was a masterly effort at learning vast quantities of dialogue with barely a falter but I would like to have seen a bit more action, possibly a temper tantrum or breakdown to vary the pace.

TWO IN TORQUAY

Sandra Smith as Miss Plunkett reminded me of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca as the down-trodden companion in the South of France. Not surprisingly Bob Wakelin as Mr Mortimer was convinced she was easy pickings and set about trying to seduce her. This playlet was set in two scenes and very cleverly written in typical Bennett style. Both these performers worked well together and the twist in the tail took me completely by surprise. Well done.

The costumes and hairstyles were good in all the pieces and the furnishings well transformed for the different plays. I don’t have a name of a director so I imagine they sorted themselves out. I felt that someone overseeing each piece might have added more change of pace and general movement.

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