Quartet

Quartet by Ronald Harwood is probably better known in its later film version. The stage play concentrates on just four residents of Beecham House for retired musicians, these characters being ex-opera singers, all remembering the limelight that had been theirs, stars in their own right. Wilfred (Roger Green), Cissie (Sheila Kay), and Reggie (Frank Woodward) have formed a friendship, each accepting the foibles of each other brought about by old age, Wilfred’s frustrated sexual urges, Cissie’s memory lapses and Reggie’s loss of confidence.

The unheralded arrival of Reggie’s ex wife Jean (Sheila Halse), recognized as the high flying soprano of her era, is the catalyst for the in depth soul searching and evaluation of the group’s friendship. Requiring confidence and experience from the cast, the four players successfully brought their characters to life with sympathy and understanding. The direction kept a good pace through a wordy script with little action, no easy achievement. The Music Room set was simple but effective. The final filmed sequence of the Quartet from Rigoletto, as they would have been in their prime, was particularly effective. Congratulations everyone.  

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