Pack of Lies

The striking publicity and informative programme for Suse Crosby’s production of Hugh Whitemore’s 'Pack of Lies’, tantalisingly suggested an evening of intrigue and shattered beliefs. This was delivered to sometimes audible gasps from the audience as the story of the famous Kroger spies, was told with compassion and authenticity. 

The audience were immediately transported back to the early 1960s owing to a realistic and well-designed set. The layout indicating a kitchen, living area, hall and upstairs not only established a believable 1960s home but supported the excellent pace of the play by avoiding lengthy scene changes. Attention to detail for both set design and props was meticulous such as the rubber rings to secure the tea towels, the period appropriate packet of Cornflakes and the fake electric fire. 

The authenticity of the era was further enhanced by Maggi Pierce’s well established skills in wardrobe management. All the outfits looked entirely accurate for the period including the old fashioned pinny, square heeled shoes and American Tan tights.  

Caroline Marchant played Helen Kroger with seemingly endless energy. She brought a brilliance to her character which was particularly evident when she was dancing during her first scene and when she was cajoling the conflicted Barbara and Bob to celebrate Christmas more heartily. Through her gestures and speech, she fitted the ‘Dizzy Lizzy’ nickname perfectly but nonetheless conveyed that her affection for Julie and Barbara was genuine.  

Matt Arnold as Helen’s husband Peter was a solid and dignified antidote to Helen’s exuberance. Appearing to be a restraining influence on Helen’s passionate excesses, he nonetheless displayed his own passions when he movingly spoke of his conversion to communism. Both Peter and Helen maintained their Canadian accents consistently across a range of emotions for the duration of the play. 

Abbi Crawford looked supremely confident as the ‘civil servant’ Mr Stewart. Moving with ease and with excellent posture he gave the impression of a relaxed and friendly official who was seeking consent for his covert operations. Beneath his superficial charm it was evident (from some rather nice eye movement) that he was continually checking out his surroundings and manipulating Bob and Barbara into compliance.  

Taking on her first ever role on stage Hadera Burki gave a very natural portrayal of Thelma. For someone so new to performing she impressed with her open body gestures, confident movement and variation in tone and expression. She successfully conveyed Thelma’s professionalism despite her growing affection for Barbara which made Thelma a rounded and likeable character. Hadera should be proud of her first stage performance, and it would be good to see her develop her skills further in future productions. 

Although a small role, Sally confidently played by Rosy Armitage established a nice contrast to Thelma’s evident affection for the Jackson family.  She created a light and happy character who breezed across the stage as easily as she breezed through her job. Her lack of empathy for Barbara therefore struck as amusing rather than unpleasant and added to the more humorous moments of the show. 

It was good to see Julian Batstone returning to acting and he gave a lovely portrayal of the traditional, conformist and initially naive Bob. Despite appearing, eager to please, reluctant to challenge authority and unable to deal with too much emotion, Julian’s accomplished understated acting created a likeable character who was as warm and comfortable as his old brown cardigan! His facial expression during the Christmas scene beautifully portrayed his discomfort with his changed world and his closing speech provided one the most moving moments of the play. 

A welcome newcomer to the Barn stage, or indeed to any stage away from her school, was Sophie Hosier who gave a delightful performance as the teenage Julie. She portrayed the frustrations of a teenager with energy and accuracy, which provided humour without slipping into caricature. Her timing and audibility were excellent as was her natural looking reactions and periodic stillness. Sophie is clearly a talented young actor and it is exciting to consider what roles she might take on next. 

Anna Quick gave an outstanding performance as Barbara. With her subtle expressions, perfect diction and talent for authentically portraying a wide range of emotions, she was utterly convincing as an ordinary 50s housewife whose world and beliefs were being turned upside down. Her ability to convey Barbara’s inner turmoil, emerging frustrations and challenged loyalties was extraordinary. Her bewilderment at her friends emerging betrayal, anger at her and Bobs perceived powerlessness and ultimate grief at the loss of one of her very few friends was heartbreaking. In her final monologue, she looked and sounded utterly exhausted and broken which made her early death seem sadly inevitable. 

Barbara, Bob and Julie worked well together, all giving generous performances which allowed each of them to shine. Their uncanny resemblance to each other and ease of their interactions created a totally believable 1960 s family unit.  

The monologues were beautifully lit by John Garland which showcased the inner life of the actors whilst facilitating quick and smooth transitions between scenes. Clever use of beautiful music augmented the atmosphere on stage and created a more lasting impact on the audience’s perception of mood than silence ever could. 

The audience were clearly captivated by this story of intrigue and broken beliefs. Suse Crosby’s dedication to detail across all aspects of the production are testament to her skill as a director and to her passion for this play, her cast and her crew.  

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