Life And Beth

 “Life and Beth” is amongst Ayckbourn’s later works, written as a companion piece to his two other plays with supernatural themes, “Haunting Julia” and “Snake in the Grass”.  With its single set, a relatively short running time and a small cast, it of necessity deals with its core themes of ghosts, marriage and closure quite intensely, especially bearing in mind that the Christmas context inevitably puts the family gathering under additional pressure.  With one cast member essentially seen but not heard, and another heard but not seen, how would the Players approach exploring the challenging ideas and complex characters at the heart of this drama?

The Players’ Theatre is an ideal venue for this kind of intimate, introspective play; walking into the auditorium felt like being invited into Beth’s living room, with her sofa seemingly within touching distance.  The ambience of the setting puts a premium on the detailing, and it was obvious that considerable thought had gone into the decor, the ornaments and the books, down to the modest display of Christmas cards on the mantelpiece.  This was not a room that spoke of Beth’s recently-departed husband, who we soon learn worked as a health and safety officer and was a controlling influence on his family.  This was a room befitting a woman moving cautiously forward with her life.

The immediacy also has a significant impact on the portrayal of character.  There is no need for the cast to project very much – the audience can hear every muttered aside, and can read emotion in each actor’s eyes.  And for the most part the company simply allowed us to observe the interactions and reflections within this family gathering, which frequently felt truly authentic.  You do need a bit of drama, though: the play is trying to provoke and amuse, with inevitable consequences in terms of the characters’ body language and the delivery of their lines.  Keeping such an intimate piece both plausible and persuasive isn’t an easy thing to do.

Production values were characteristically high.  In addition to that solidly constructed and finely detailed set, there was real food in the cold collation, and real liquid in the bottles of wine.  Various supernatural events were realised through a combination of imaginative lighting and clever stagecraft, while the costumes enhanced the characterisation and the overall look of the piece.  Connie’s dressing up outfits were fun – just a little bit too showy and snug as Connie would surely have worn them, while Beth’s costumes had a quiet elegance, and David’s pale suit and dog collar is practically the uniform of the rural vicar.

The director, working with the Thame Players for the first time, brought a great deal of relevant professional experience to this production.  I suspect that putting on a play in such an intimate space has much more in common with directing for television than with directing for a large auditorium.  Small details are rewarded, and this was certainly the case in the setting and in much of the characterisation.  The play raises more questions than it provides answers, but there is nothing wrong with that, and the enduring emotion was perhaps hope.  We are left with the impression that those closest to Gordon are finding the strength to move on with their lives, as epitomised in Beth’s forceful rejection of her late husband’s ghost.  This was a thought-provoking and impressively staged piece of theatre.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.