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Synopsis 1939. Mayfair. David and Joan Scott-Fowler are a high-living and hard-drinking couple who are still trying to live the hedonistic excess of their - and the century's - twenties. Through the eyes of a younger generation, the endless drinking, partying and gossip look dangerously frivolous as Europe falls towards another war. When the reforming zeal of another woman evolves into love for David, a fateful shadow is thrown over their twelve year marriage. With poignancy and wit, Rattigan reveals the gaudy emptiness of the Bright Young Things as they move into middle age. First presented to great acclaim in 1939 and forced to close with the onset of war, After the Dance has remained unperformed for over sixty years.
As the world races towards catastrophe, a crowd of Mayfair socialites party their way to oblivion. At its centre is David (Cumberbatch), who idles away his sober moments researching a futile book until the beautiful Helen (Castelow) decides to save him, shattering his marriage and learning too late the depth of both David’s indolence and his wife’s undeclared love. But with finances about to crash and humanity on the brink of global conflict, the drink keeps flowing and the revellers dance on.
Michael Coveney on Whatsonstage.com (five stars) - “Thea Sharrock’s NT production is a revelation … This couple, beautifully played by the effortlessly smooth Benedict Cumberbatch and the gorgeously febrile Nancy Carroll, are ignoring all signs of change and decay, David literally so in the case of his battered liver … (The) shifting of social parameters with an acid nostalgia for the old world of hedonism and frippery is brilliantly done in the writing and carried through not only in the performances, but also in Hildegard Bechtler’s luxurious mansion flat, bathed in sickly morning light by Mark Henderson. This is one of the most significant, glorious and enjoyable productions in the National’s history. It’s like early Noel Coward mated with mature David Hare. And it’s studded with lovely cameos from Giles Cooper as a baffled young medic, Pandora Colin as a 'stinking' drunk vulture flying in from Le Touquet, Nicholas Lumley as the unflappable butler and Jenny Galloway as a stern, monosyllabic new secretary in the third act.”
Michael Billington in the Guardian (four stars) – “Terence Rattigan's supposedly 'lost' play was actually shown on BBC TV in 1994 and revived by Oxford Stage Company in 2002. But both are eclipsed by Thea Sharrock's superb production, which captures not only Rattigan's ability to blend the psychological and the social but also his extraordinary breadth of sympathy … The marvel of Sharrock's production, however, lies in its microscopic detail: there's a moment when Nancy Carroll as David's wife, shattered by the news he plans to leave her, simply sits rock still – thereby conveying a wealth of sadness … Every few years the British theatre rediscovers Rattigan: this excellent production reminds us that we should simply accept him as one of the supreme dramatists of the 20th century.”
Charles Spencer in the Daily Telegraph (five stars) – “This is a great and wonderful revelation … Neglected plays by major writers are usually neglected for the very good reason that they aren’t much good, but in Thea Sharrock’s superb production at the National Theatre the drama emerges as a piece that can stand comparison with Rattigan’s greatest works, such as The Deep Blue Sea and The Browning Version … The performances are first rate. Nancy Carroll is almost unbearably moving as the apparently jolly and resilient Joan Scott-Fowler who has never quite dared to reveal to her husband just how much she loves him. Her eerily quiet sobs and shrieks when she learns he is trading her in for a younger model provide the play’s emotional heart … Benedict Cumberbatch is compelling as the alcoholic husband who sees a chance of a better life but realises he cannot bring it to fruition. One leaves the theatre convinced that a neglected classic has finally been honoured.”
Henry Hitchings in the Evening Standard (five stars) – “This is the National Theatre at its best: an obscure yet excellent English play, directed with tact and vision, and stunningly performed … Rattigan’s characters are rich Londoners whose lives are empty and bibulous. Gin is their oxygen, and in Hildegard Bechtler’s gorgeous design the drinks tray is focal … Adrian Scarborough has perhaps never been better than he is as John, the couple’s long-term guest … There’s superb work, too, from Faye Castelow as Helen, the callow young woman who wants to lift David out of his apathy; from John Heffernan as her harried, soulful boyfriend; and from Pandora Colin, hilarious as a ghastly flapper who’s friends with Joan. But the star turns come from Nancy Carroll and Benedict Cumberbatch. Initially cool and crisp, Carroll becomes heart-rendingly brilliant as Joan’s world disintegrates. And while Cumberbatch’s physical pose is remarkable, it’s his voice that is the real marvel: dense as treacle, but unerringly precise.”
Quentin Letts in the Daily Mail (five stars) – “Britain's recent elite, so relentlessly extravagant and shallow and drunken, may watch Terence Rattigan's 1939 play After the Dance with rising discomfort. It paints the ruinousness of moral neglect, the selfishness of sybarites. Here is a play to chill Blair and his babyboomers … Thea Sharrock's superb production of this neglected Rattigan is luxuriantly staged. Everything happens in the drawing room of David Scott-Fowler's London flat. High ceilings, chunky doors, shimmering manservant. All deliciously caught … On a narrow level this play describes the ravages of drink and the unease fellow drunks feel when one of their number takes up abstinence. It is, however, about the graver addiction of weaklings to the drug of self-indulgence. They are hooked on frivolity. Belief in anything is something to be wafted aside with a well-refreshed palm … Amid all this is the baffled figure of David's younger cousin Peter (John Heffernan), who learns how destructive these attitudes are. Playwright Rattigan surely saw a lot of himself in Peter. Adrian Scarborough, Pandora Colin and Jenny Galloway are but some of the actors contributing fine cameos to a richly redeeming night.”
Libby Purves in The Times (four stars) – “A Nancy Mitford character once said, wistfully, that their interwar generation would be forgotten, an irrelevance. She was wrong: the Twenties and Thirties still fascinate … Here, like flies in amber, that generation stay trapped, seen through Rattigan’s prism of naturalistic anguished comedy and redemption. At first, with drawing-room elegance and wisecracks from a wonderful John Reid (Adrian Scarborough) it conjures echoes of Coward: except that with Rattigan, you always know that what is brittle will eventually crack … It is engaging, brilliantly done, funny at times, but frankly a harsh piece of emotional archaeology. I can see why after its 1939 triumph Rattigan kept it back. You can offer such a pitiless mirror to a society only while it is still reasonably smug and secure. For us in 2010, there is enough human truth to hold us. But their denied emotions, their brittle pretence, feel like a message from another planet. We have moved on. I hope.”
Terence Rattigan’s “lost” play After the Dance begins with a butler opening the French windows while a young man taps away on a typewriter and an older man snoozes on the sofa under a copy of The Times.
So far, so familiar, audiences must have thought in the summer of 1939, when the play, Rattigan’s second, opened in the wake of his smash hit Riviera comedy French Without Tears.
But war loomed, the play turned sour and audiences stayed away: it closed after just 60 performances, despite a critical huzzah, and has not been seen since, save for Dominic Dromgoole’s well-reviewed touring revival for the Oxford Stage Company eight years ago.
Thea Sharrock’s NT production is a revelation. The game is up for the bright young things of the 1920s, stewing in alcohol and partying on with a suicidal frenzy as Rattigan zooms in on the London flat of the Scott-Fowlers, where the young man, Peter, is typing up the latest history book of David while Joan keeps the cocktail cabinet fully stocked and much visited.
This couple, beautifully played by the effortlessly smooth Benedict Cumberbatch and the gorgeously febrile Nancy Carroll, are ignoring all signs of change and decay, David literally so in the case of his battered liver. Forced to have a medical examination by Peter’s fiancée Helen (Faye Castelow, bright-eyed and feisty, resembles a young Sarah Miles), David gives up the drink then gives up Joan.
The consequences are disastrous but also inevitable, as another party scene blazes to unexpected and brilliant life, and the recurring, plangent tones of Al Jolson’s “Avalon” overlap with the ominous intervals of a Puccini aria from Tosca. The old sofa boy – Adrian Scarborough is the perfect hanger-on, kept in booze for his good company – delivers a harsh analysis of the real world which involves jobs and babies in Balham and is forced to accept work himself in Manchester with a window-cleaning business.
This shifting of social parameters with an acid nostalgia for the old world of hedonism and frippery is brilliantly done in the writing and carried through not only in the performances, but also in Hildegard Bechtler’s luxurious mansion flat, bathed in sickly morning light by Mark Henderson.
This is one of the most significant, glorious and enjoyable productions in the National’s history. It’s like early Noel Coward mated with mature David Hare. And it’s studded with lovely cameos from Giles Cooper as a baffled young medic, Pandora Colin as a “stinking” drunk vulture flying in from Le Touquet, Nicholas Lumley as the unflappable butler and Jenny Galloway as a stern, monosyllabic new secretary in the third act.
Its been weeks since I saw this wonderful production and its still buzzing around in my head. Its the best play Ive ever seen at the national or for that matter at any theatre. Cumberbatch, Carroll and Scarborough were quite extraordinary. I am in awe of their acting ability. Such a shame the run was so short because I;d have seen it again and again. If only the play was recorded so a larger audience could see this masterpiece. I do hope Cumberbatch has a chance to make a film of the play. - Jenbrady
13 Sep 10
It's no surprise that After the Dance closed so quickly in 1939. An audience facing another war was hardly likely to be in the mood for a play about a bunch of hedonistic wastrels - they probably hoped the whole lot of them would be wiped out in the Blitz. With one major caveat, Thea Sharrock's wonderful production, with a breathtaking design by Hildegard Bechtler, shines a new light on the "lost" Rattigan which moves from Cowardesque frippery to something far deeper. Unfortunately some of the effect is distorted as the play is grossly miscast with very few actors of the right age for their characters. One of the exceptions is Adrian Scarborough, revealing unexpected depth and insight behind the silly ass wisecracks. Nancy Carroll, although far too young for Joan, is heart-breakingly moving as she confronts the loss of her husband who she has never revealed her true feelings for. Benedict Cumberbatch has none of the roguish charm required for David (not suprising based on his humourless appearance on The One Show). He's supposed to be the same age as Scarborough's John and acts as guardian to Peter who is played by an actor of roughly the same age. There is also an irony that in a play about the perils of drinking most characters blithely smoke themselves into an early grave. However, despite these flaws, the quality of Rattigan's writing and observation makes this a very welcome discovery. - David Baxter
11 Aug 10
I cannot praise this production highly enough. It delivers at every level - brilliant writing, superbly staged and acted impeccably by an excellent ensemble cast. Benedict Cumberbatch gives a perfectly weighted performance and Adrian Scarborough gives one of the finest performances I have seen from him. For me Nancy Carroll shines as Joan. The moment where she is left alone after having had confirmed what she always knew, that her husband was in love with another woman was incredible. She turned away from the audience and quietly crumbled, without speaking or barely moving. Acting of the highest order. This is one of the best productions I have seen at the National or indeed anywhere else in a long, long time and deserves its success. I just wish the run was longer; I'd love to see it again. - Paul Wallis
09 Aug 10
To say I was hugely impressed by this production would be scant praise for what I felt was one of the finest productions I've seen on the Lyttleton stages in many, many years. Staged superbly, this wonderfully written play had it all, acted impeccably by an outstanding ensemble cast. I was gripped from start to finish, totally immersed in the world of these fascinating characters. Cast to perfection, each part was superbly played; Benedict Cumberbatch giving a perfectly weighted performance. Sometimes great acting is about whats not spoken and for me the stand out moment of the play was when Nancy Carroll's Joan said goodbye to Helen after having what she'd always known confirmed; that Helen was in love with her husband. Carroll as Joan turned her back on the audience and seemed to physically crumble without speaking or barely moving. It was a stunning moment that sent shivers through me and set in train the tragic events that inevitably followed. This play deserves the success its achieved. Its a shame the run is so short - I would beg for a ticket to see it again. Outstanding! - Paul Wallis
07 Aug 10
Lovely stuff. What the NT does particularly well is to assemble great ensemble casts (without recourse to big star names) and explore less familiar British 20th century drama. This fits into the Time and the Conways or Voysey Inheritance Lyttleton slot, introducing great plays of their time to a new audience. To see two of my favourite actors, Benedict Cumberbatch and Nancy Carroll, together was a joy. Long may it continue. - dgr1
30 Jul 10
Isn't it interesting how differently people react to the same play? I can't believe that some people found it so boring that they had to walk out after the first act. I was riveted from the very first minute, and rejoice that this work has been brought back into the repertoire. It is on a par with Rattigan's 'Deep blue sea' and 'Separate tables', and this production (while not quite deserving of five stars - I wish I could give it four and a half) is one of the best things the NT has done for a long time. Benedict Cumberbatch and Nancy Carroll as the married Scott-Fowlers are both superb, and they are supported by an all-round excellent cast. And isn't it time that Adrian Scarborough was recognised as the great actor he is? His transition from drink-sodden buffoon to sympathetic sage is both convincing and very moving. Thea Sharrock's direction is faultless. An evening of pure delight, not to be missed. - sc
22 Jul 10
After reading all the good reviews for this production I had high expectations. Unfortunately they were nowhere near met. I can see why it's not performed very much. Very uninspired writing and nowhere near as good as Separate Tables or The Deep Blue Sea. There were a couple of good performances (Jenny Galloway pretty much stole the whole show for me in her 5 mins!), but I would have expected better at the National.
The directing was really bad though. When not sure what to do, just send the character to the table of alcohol for a refill! Also, would someone in that era have walked into an upper class apartment and sat on the back of the sofa?
The whole thing just seemed like an upper class episode of Eastenders to me. Very uninspiring. - Steve
20 Jul 10
This left me cold and so I left at the interval. It was uninspiring with an ill mix of cast. Adrian Scarborough doing his usual turn, this time the grouchy sponging toff - give us a break! The Lytttleton's huge stage was used to good effect, but to not much avail. The NT seems to have lost its way of late - but, interestingly, there are pearls to be seen at the moment on the Southbank and one is Spring Storm, currently playing to sold-out houses in the Cottesloe but it's a Royal & Derngate, Northampton production not the NT's - but that's all for another blog. I had the good fortune to see the Shaw Festival of Canada's production of this play last year and the NT had a lot to live up to - unfortunately it didn't. - rds
12 Jun 10
With The White Guard, The Habit of Art and this all running in rep. in the Lyttleton at the same time, you'd be forgiven for moving in. I will be showering this 'lost' Terence Rattigan play with even more superlatives than I did the other two; it will go down in the NT's history as one of its great achievements. Soon after it begins, you think you're at a Noel Coward play; it doesn't seem like Rattigan at all. It isn't until the second act when the depth and complexity comes through. What at first seems to be a satire on the decadent lives of the pre-war upper middle classes soon becomes a fascinating study of relationships and love. Quite why it is rarely produced is beyond me; I love Rattigan's plays and this is without doubt the best of the seven I've seen. Thea Sharrock's production is masterly; so subtle and nuanced, every word, expression and movement has meaning. Hildegard Bechtler's Drawing Room set is so realistic it's like time travelling back 70 years. It has one of the best acting company's put together at the National; many of them new to the NT. Adrian Scarborough moves from court jester to knowing friend and confidante (just about the only emotionally intelligent character in the play) seamlessly. Nancy Carroll is so good as the superficial socialite when she break's down its devastating. Benedict Cumberbatch's repression is so real you jump when he explodes. In the supporting company, Pandora Colin is a superbly comic party animal and Jenny Galloway a wonderfully pessimistic secretary. This is such a satisfying theatrical experience - great play, terrific performances, faultless direction & design - you'd be completely bonkers to miss it. - Gareth James
11 Jun 10
Three hours just sped by. Elegant, precise, witty and almost unbearably painful. An extremely classy production, helped by fantastic acting in the supporting roles. I could have looked at the set for hours and the lighting is masterful. - Russells Theatre Reviews
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