February 16, 2006
Talking Heads was originally written by Alan Bennett to be performed on television, with the monologues delivered by narrators who talk directly into camera. This is not an easy thing to adapt to the stage. Under the direction of Simon Coates the cast of the Abingdon Touring Theatre Company manage to carry it off very well.
The set is simple - a leather chair, a small table and a selection of props appropriate to whichever character is on stage. As befits a ‘talking head’ the movement is kept to within a small area, which also reflects the narrow confines in which these characters live their lives. The fading in and out of lights works well as a device for showing the passage of time.
The actors are all students on their gap years and so are decades younger than the characters they are playing. They aren’t ‘aged’ with make up and rely on their acting skill to be convincing in their roles. This they manage to do with their voices and mannerisms.
Each performance consists of three out of four monologues, performed in rotation. Last night’s show consisted of A Bed Among the Lentils, A Chip in the Sugar and A Lady of Letters. The fourth monologue (and two of those described below) will be performed tomorrow when Holly Jones will play Lesley, the aspiring actress, in Her Big Chance.
As Susan, the bored vicar’s wife in A Bed Among the Lentils, Felicity Jackson is clipped and bitter. She narrates the story of her stagnant marriage and her petty struggles with her husband’s ‘fan club’ of parishioners in a dry and cynical voice. She never quite looks at the audience, giving the impression that Susan is aloof and distant.
As Graham, the man whose life revolves around with his elderly mother in A Chip in the Sugar, Edward Rowett has the difficult task of reporting the speech of a number of other characters. He indicates the different people (his mother, the vicar, Mr Turnbull) using slight variations in his voice and manner. As the monologue progresses, his body language helps show the increasing disturbance of Graham’s mind. The only thing that fails to come across is Graham’s slight campness, so that when the revelation of his latent homosexuality comes at the end, it’s a bit of a surprise.
Hannah Berhanu plays Irene, the writer of poison pen letters in A Lady of Letters. Her character is a lot older than the others yet she manages to convince by using a range of carefully observed mannerisms and even a northern accent. Of the three performances, hers was the one that spoke most directly to the audience.
This is monologue at its best. Alan Bennett’s characteristic wit and subtlety allows us to see into the lonely, helpless worlds the narrators are trapped in. As we learn more about these lives, the humour serves the dual purpose of entertaining and deepening the pathos of the situation. If you’ve seen the original plays, you won’t be disappointed with this production. If you haven’t… well, now’s your chance.
The set is simple - a leather chair, a small table and a selection of props appropriate to whichever character is on stage. As befits a ‘talking head’ the movement is kept to within a small area, which also reflects the narrow confines in which these characters live their lives. The fading in and out of lights works well as a device for showing the passage of time.
The actors are all students on their gap years and so are decades younger than the characters they are playing. They aren’t ‘aged’ with make up and rely on their acting skill to be convincing in their roles. This they manage to do with their voices and mannerisms.
Each performance consists of three out of four monologues, performed in rotation. Last night’s show consisted of A Bed Among the Lentils, A Chip in the Sugar and A Lady of Letters. The fourth monologue (and two of those described below) will be performed tomorrow when Holly Jones will play Lesley, the aspiring actress, in Her Big Chance.
As Susan, the bored vicar’s wife in A Bed Among the Lentils, Felicity Jackson is clipped and bitter. She narrates the story of her stagnant marriage and her petty struggles with her husband’s ‘fan club’ of parishioners in a dry and cynical voice. She never quite looks at the audience, giving the impression that Susan is aloof and distant.
As Graham, the man whose life revolves around with his elderly mother in A Chip in the Sugar, Edward Rowett has the difficult task of reporting the speech of a number of other characters. He indicates the different people (his mother, the vicar, Mr Turnbull) using slight variations in his voice and manner. As the monologue progresses, his body language helps show the increasing disturbance of Graham’s mind. The only thing that fails to come across is Graham’s slight campness, so that when the revelation of his latent homosexuality comes at the end, it’s a bit of a surprise.
Hannah Berhanu plays Irene, the writer of poison pen letters in A Lady of Letters. Her character is a lot older than the others yet she manages to convince by using a range of carefully observed mannerisms and even a northern accent. Of the three performances, hers was the one that spoke most directly to the audience.
This is monologue at its best. Alan Bennett’s characteristic wit and subtlety allows us to see into the lonely, helpless worlds the narrators are trapped in. As we learn more about these lives, the humour serves the dual purpose of entertaining and deepening the pathos of the situation. If you’ve seen the original plays, you won’t be disappointed with this production. If you haven’t… well, now’s your chance.