Time and the Conways

JB Priestley is a well-known playwright not least for pieces such as When We Are Married, An Inspector Calls and Dangerous Corner. Less well known and less regularly performed plays include Time and the Conways. This is a great shame because it is most certainly well worth watching.

Written in 1937 the play focuses on the moneyed Conway family living in Yorkshire in the years 1919 and 1937. The first act opens on Kay Conway’s twenty first birthday. Act two takes us to the same day in 1937 before act three when we are taken back to a few moments after act one finished.

In act one we see Mrs Conway (Gill Hines) and her four daughters Kay (Georgie Wood), Madge (Margaret Lowe), Hazel (Abi Deehan), Carol (Hannah Hargraves) and two sons Alan (Steven Bayman) and Robin (Chris Callaghan) just back from serving in the war.  Three others characters - Joan Helford (Steph Jepson - in love with Robin), Gerald Thornton (Nathan Brown - a solicitor) and Ernest Beavers (Joe Riley – an entrepreneur) join the birthday and the end of war celebrations. Everyone is involved in a game of charades in another room of the house while we see characters searching through a large chest trying on different costumes. The background sound effects of the celebrations elsewhere in the house were at times a bit loud which took away the ability to capture all the lines which was a shame. At the end of the act Kay seems to have a vision of the future.

Following the interval we were transferred to 1937 and saw changes which had taken place within the family. Not least the death of Carol. Different actors now played the remaining parts. Robin (Justin Osborne) a salesman who has now split up from his wife Joan (Kate Sutcliffe). Madge (Jayne Caithness) now working at a school who has failed in socialist dreams. Hazel (Lynda Jepson) married to wealthy Earnest (Ian McLean) and Kay (Jane Lees) who has not yet managed to write a novel. We find the family fortune has gone and Mrs. Conway (Shirley Allwork) has left it to Gerald (Nick Bate) to break the news to the family while they have gathered. Alan (Noel Dollimore) has remained at home and at the end of the act speaks to Kay about time as an eternal present.

A second interval and act three is back to 1919 when we see the start of the family breakdown and relationships. At the end of the act Alan speaks with Kay telling her he will be able to tell her something in the future.

There were notable performances within both ‘two casts’. Not least Shirley Allwork who was a natural in the role. She played the role with conviction and great emotion.  Other notable performances were put in by Ian McLean and Joe Riley as well as Noel Dollimore and Jayne Caithness.  However, it is unfair to leave out the rest of this large cast who had all clearly placed thought into their character and managed to demonstrate their own agenda in this portrayal of a family situation. The play was well directed by Lindsey Allwork especially considering having to have so many people on stage at the same time on occasions.   

Having two separate casts most certainly gave additional members of the company the chance to take part in the production. It was not difficult to accept different people playing the same role and continue with the play. Some of the ages however did not quite match with their earlier counterpart as everyone needed to have aged the same number of years. 

The imaginative set designed by Lindsey Allwork, Chris Jackson and Nic Walsh was worthy of mention. The door leading into the room was effective and actors coming and going remained in character. The whole set was in keeping with both 1919 and 1937 with minor adjustments during the intervals. The representation of the mirror using an empty frame on an unconventional angle worked well and was just one example of how well the set worked. There was good attention to detail throughout the set including a gap in the wall where the 1937 Kay could materialise and share the stage at the same time as the 1919 actor. A gauze allowing us to see the 1937 actors watching over their 1919 visions from the past was a nice touch and worked well.

This was a gripping and well performed drama by a talented group of actors and I most certainly look forward to seeing them again in the future.  

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