Reader Reviews
Goodbye to All That (Royal Court - Jerwood Theatre, West End)
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 | Of the two productions currently at the Royal Court featuring two women fighting over a man in a hospital bed, this is the more urgent. That is because this play's Frank (Roger Sloman) is not in the hospital bed at the beginning of the play, and has a chance of getting out of it. Also, this is because the women fighting over him in this play (Royal Court Upstairs) are in the throws of the emotions which lead them to fight, whereas in "In Basildon" (Royal Court Downstairs), the two women are in bitter aftermath of those emotions. Both plays are good, but this one hurts more, as there is not only more urgency in it, but there is more cruelty. All the performances in this are brilliant: Roger Sloman is utterly believable as Frank, and the moment his health takes a turn for the worse is harrowing; Linda Marlowe is maternal and tender as his mistress, Rita; Alexander Cobb is heated and barrel-voiced, but it is Susan Brown as his put upon wife Iris who gives the most exceptional memorable performance. She plays a betrayed wife with an enigmatic laissez faire and indignance, which hides wells of scorching bitterness beneath the surface. What she does and what she doesn't do, and how she does and doesn't do it, is gasp-inducing. I won't be forgetting that performance and I won't be forgetting this play. - steveatplays | 03 Mar 12 |
