Ladies in Lavender

This play is an interesting, intimate piece driven more by character than by narrative: “man washed up on beach” would be a simplistic summary of the plot.  It gives up its secrets slowly: who are the two ladies with their wireless tuned in to the classical music concert?  what events have shaped their personalities? and who is the man who so unexpectedly arrives in their lives?  References to the past frequently go unexplored or unexplained, and only a few of the loose ends are tied together neatly at the end.  The impression of lives in limbo is heightened by the late 1930s setting, a world shaped by tumultuous events but with an unsettling sense that things are going to get worse before they can get better.  The Players Theatre is an ideal stage for forensic studies of characters and relationships: the audience is drawn into the drama and every gesture and expression assumes significance.  The director understood this, and working with her talented cast she presented a gentle but insightful analysis of ordinary people responding to extraordinary events, a thought-provoking and occasionally touching production which critically retained the capacity to amuse and entertain.

The two ladies sat by the wireless are Janet and Ursula Widdington, sisters who have lived all their lives in their cottage on the Cornish coast.  A radio broadcast of a concert and a mug of cocoa represent the cultural and comfortable highlights of a quiet evening in.  Janet is the more pragmatic and strait-laced of the pair, and she carried the aura of someone who has come to believe that everything must end in disappointment.  A past relationship is referred to, a possible explanation for why she is determined that both she and her sister should avoid making themselves emotionally vulnerable.  Ursula is considerably more free-spirited, apparently unburdened by the memory of past unhappiness.  She finds herself drawn to the recovering young man in the spare room who comes to personify the mystery, romance and adventure which apparently has been largely absent from her own life.

It was evident that the whole company had given a great deal of thought to characterisation, and the development of character was finely judged.  Everyone delivered their lines confidently, and there were many occasions when the timing and rhythm of exchanges was unusually persuasive, most notably when Janet and Ursula found themselves unable to address the elephant in the room – that they were becoming emotionally involved with the man they had rescued from the beach.  Many of the sisters’ exchanges were also gently comedic: “Shall we have a biscuit with our cocoa?”; “On a weekday?!”

The set brings its own challenges, with the action moving rapidly between the garden, living room and bedroom of the Widdingtons’ cottage with an occasional foray to the beach.  The need for lengthy scene changes was largely obviated by having all these settings on stage simultaneously: the set design featured expansive and beautifully painted Cornish skies stretching out into the auditorium, homely 1930s living room furniture occupying centre stage, and a comfortable guest bedroom tucked away on an elevated platform upstage.  The very specific period setting was captured in the set dressing, with furniture which appeared well matched to the era, and some appropriate details such as a vintage wireless, a barometer, a candlestick telephone and a framed picture of George V.

The fifteen scenes were punctuated by short blackouts; even though the settings didn’t need to be changed, there were adjustments to be made and quick costume changes to accomplish.  In an effort to keep the piece flowing and to maintain pace and energy, these short interludes were generally and appropriately filled with verses of sea shanties.  The rich soundscape of birdsong, breaking waves and sea breezes was incredibly effective in conjuring up the atmosphere of a Cornish coastal community.

It really was all rather lovely.  “Ladies in Lavender” is a thoughtful, sensitive study of love and loss, leavened with gentle humour, and this presentation was elevated by splendid performances in the leading roles and by the director’s clear vision for the play.  The matinee audience may have been undemonstrative, but they were certainly appreciative of the quality of the Thame Players’ work, and quite right too.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.