An Evening Of Alan Bennett
From left: Julie Moss, Adam Thurkettle, Erin Lacey and Phil Cockell.
Review by Martine Silkstone
I never cease to be amazed at (and proud of) the wonderful variety of shows and extraordinary level of talent we have here in Suffolk, and a prime example is the current production of Alan Bennet’s Talking Heads at The Quay Theatre.
Four local theatre enthusiasts are performing four of the playwright’s classic series and what an amazing achievement it is - not just the outstanding acting and design, but to have been granted permission to do them in the first place!
Having decided to put together the show using two monologues from each original series, they discovered that the licenses were not available for some and decided to go to the source himself for permission. They wrote to Alan Bennett explaining their vision and were surprised and delighted when he called(!) them to say “yes”. The result of their efforts is now being played on stage in Sudbury and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Although I caught a couple of the BBC versions when they were released, I have never seen them ‘live’ and you couldn’t ask for a better venue than The Quay – it offers the perfect, intimate setting for this kind of play and the four actors are just superb.
Opening the first half is ‘A Chip in the Sugar’, and Phil Cockell is perfectly Alan Bennett-esque as Graham Whittaker, the middle-aged man still living with his mother. Then we meet Rosemary Horrocks – a wonderfully dry and subtly raw performance by Julie Moss - in ‘Nights in the Garden of Spain’ where we discover the salacious, hidden story of suburbia.
After the interval, Adam Thurkettle is Wilfred in ‘Playing Sandwiches’, taking on a difficult role and adding a skilfully understated physical performance that only becomes clear as the story unfolds. Then we close with ‘Her Big Chance’, and Erin Lacey is all naiveté and enthusiasm as the gullible, budding actress, Lesley, fresh from a film set where she has just shot someone with a harpoon gun.
All are masterful in their roles and ably showcase the brilliant source material which is so beautifully balanced with a touch of humour, shock and darkness throughout.
If you are looking for a show, this is an amazing display of local talent and suitably honours the work of this great English writer.
It’s something different, something interesting, and something you want to see.
An Evening with Alan Bennett is at The Quay Theatre, Sudbury until September 14.
FOR FULL SHOW DETAILS AND BOOKING LINK, CLICK HERE