Goodnight Mr Tom

Goodnight Mister Tom the 2011 play is based on the 1981 book: and the story in all its incarnations has been widely acclaimed and praised, winning an Olivier Award in 2013 for best entertainment. As it’s set in 1939, on the brink of war and just after, it has the feel of something far older, taking us to a time of make-do-and-mend, of simplicity and a little nostalgia. And there is something quintessential here about what the British public love: a story about a young boy being rescued.

Henfield Theatre Company have certainly maximised the use of their available space, building out a small ‘in the rafters’ bedroom for the boy in the extended end of stage right, working doors stage right with a table and chairs showing the inside of Mr Tom’s cottage, and extreme stage left another two doors representing (in the second act) the boy’s house in London, including a moving on and off jutting out staircase with understairs cupboard which is vital to the plot. The audience quickly gets used to the placing of these things through the action which all the actors support. A drop down area in front of the stage is used in a variety of ways: digging a trench, and brilliantly, the underground shelter in London where they wait for the all clear. It’s a very inventive way of using all the available space to show the different locations, with the space in the middle becoming whatever is needed.

This is supported by some lovely projections on the back wall, showing various scenes such as the graveyard outside where Tom lives and the underground shelter. The framing of the projections is a particularly nice touch, making them look like old picture postcards, which added to the feel of the whole show. However, there were some lighting issues at times when actors were on this middle part of the stage, as the lighting had been toned down so that they wouldn’t wash away the projections: once the scene has been set, the actors, especially their facial expressions and the details in their portrayals, need to be seen. If the choice is whether to see the actors or to see the projections, it needs to be the actors. While moving snow at one point worked really well, there was a dream sequence on projection which went on a long time and while it’s an interesting idea, as this is on stage, it would have been possible to stage this with actors showing it, rather than a mini film: especially as it was just film, not supporting any actors on stage at the time. It came across as a little jarring and not really in keeping with the rest of the show.

The sounds and the scene change music were all really lovely and in keeping with the show. The cast singing in the shelter was also really lovely. Another always strong element with this company are the costumes, and there were lots of them including ensemble and multi-rolling. All the costumes were super, from Tom to William the boy, from Zach with his rainbow jumper to the nurses in the underground shelter. Where stage hands are seen it would have been better for these people to be in costume, as many of the cast moved items which is so good to see, so it would have kept the audience in the moment if the stage crew had been costumed as well. Congratulations to Lyn Fryer and the costume team who always do such a fantastic job with their excellent attention to detail.

All the actors did a lovely job on stage, and with so many it’s impossible to mention everyone, but special note has to made of Finn Donegan in the lead role of the evacuee boy William Beech. He is much younger than the William we are used to seeing but performs the role so very well, at first being shy and afraid as he would be, but when he’s in the village play and performing a role, we see him transform. His story arc is extreme and he handles this with ease, never faltering on lines or where he is meant to be. Another mention goes to his best friend Zach in the rainbow jumper who embodies the character exactly as written in the book, which is amazing. Ian Henham is wonderful as Tom Oakley, the recluse with a closed heart who gradually learns to open up and care for another, as well as himself, through the play. A completely believable performance, every physical movement and every stance and delivery of his lines, which didn’t sound like lines, they were just him speaking.

Another special mention has to go the mastery of puppeteering Sammy the dog by Ven Malyon. Performing the whole show on his knees, yet the audience very quickly stopped seeing him, we just saw the puppet Sammy the dog, always watching and reacting to what was going on. The particularly lovely touches were his head bobbing up when he heard his name, and his trembling in the underground shelter where many of the audience audibly exclaimed “aww!” which shows how believable the performance was.

This is a somewhat smoothed out version of the story: Tom is not as gruff and standoffish in the beginning and the mother in act two is not as evil as written in the book or seen in other productions, so this is an interesting choice. The acting is wonderfully natural and director Rosemary Nice has done a lovely job with this show.  Congratulations to everyone involved in a production which left very few dry eyes in the house.

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