Talking Heads

A series of 5 of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads performed over 4 nights required two visits to the Angles Theatre, Wisbech, so a thank you for your hospitality on both the Friday and Saturday evening. Reviewing these gave me a bit of a quandary, should it be as a whole or individual plays, would I class these as Monologues or Plays although a cast of one. The director solved that for me by stating in the director’s notes that these were creating the effect of the original television plays.

The intimacy of the theatre allowed one to look on the stage as though through a single lens so although each play was centered around differently lit parts of the stage with appropriate furniture and props each of these areas provided their own set so to speak highlighted by the lighting. Each ‘set’ was well dressed and any changes were quick and unobtrusive including the clearing of the set for Lady of Letters when Irene founds herself in prison. Any Costume changes both on and of stage were smooth and fully in tune with the characters being portrayed. Costumes and wigs, where worn, were appropriate.

On Friday evening first up was Lesley in ‘Her Big Chance’ performed by Lizzie Bryant, the naivety and gullibility of Lesley was brought out in this performance, a young woman who reveled in starting off by saying she had shot a man and then explaining the whole story. This was clearly told with a simmering enjoyment and tension throughout. This was followed by Doris complaining about ‘A Cream Cracker Under the Settee’, Lorraine Carver’s portrayal was quietly realistic, movement and dialogue movingly and realistically performed so much so that I wanted to step onto the stage and help her up of the floor. The experiences of Doris’s life were told with emotion and feeling until the final curtain. The final performance on Friday was Graham complaining about ‘A Chip in the Sugar’, as a man dependent on his mother Martin Lightfoot gave a clear performance of an insecure man who felt that his ordered existence was falling apart.

Saturday saw a repeat of ‘A Cream Cracker under the Settee’, I knew what to expect so didn’t have the urge to get up and help Doris. This performance was sandwiched between Amy’s ‘Bed Among the Lentils’ and ‘Lady of Letters’ Irene. Sam Rose was suitably subtle as an alcoholic Vicar’s wife showing the frustrations of that role, the need for love and a faith in God. Nosey parker, complaining Irene who finally, in prison finds a role in life was portrayed to a ‘T’ by the wonderful Wendy Cole.

To be fair all five performers portrayed their characters very well, showing sympathy with the highs and lows of their lives and emotions, bringing them alive as real people. Direction was sympathetic to the needs of the characters and the watching audience, diction was clear and full of emotion bringing out the nuances of humour that much relieved the somberness of some of the dialogue, there was very little stumble over lines. Movement and light around the stage made no distraction from the storyline. They should all be proud of the roles they performed; these television plays were very well adapted to the stage in these performances.

Congratulations to all the cast and director Marie Cunningham for two entertaining evenings.

 

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