The Tailors' Last Stand

Synopsis

It's the last meeting for this intrepid band of London Tailors. A time to reminisce, to swap stories of what was and of what might have been, to take stock and to look into the future. But not for one moment is this going to be a tranquil wake. Fireworks can still fly and scores can still be settled when our comrades get together. In one meeting, a whole era finds its spirit. As Max, Barney, George and Tom perform the last rites over their beloved Union Branch and consign it to history, they are bidding a sad farewell to a time of struggle, of belief in a finer society. These four tailors, despite all they've suffered and seen, still firmly believe in their paradise on earth, their socialist utopia where life will be better, sweeter, more perfect and more precious. They have lived and will die cherishing this ideal. This play takes an affectionate yet comic look at these man. There is sadness and nostalgia woven into the evening as two of the four remember the beautiful young woman they loved and lost in their youth.

Our Review:

6 March 2013

Located in a tiny typical bar theatre, this comfy, close-quarters office has much taking place within it, and you’ve got to be at the top of your game to absorb all of this deep performance.

For a “last stand,” these communists don’t go out with much of a “bang”. The first act echoes with a lot of elements of the absurd. Particularly for Max (played by Edmund Dehn), there are moments where the internal journeys of these characters are explored more than significance of the events happening around them. As the men conversed with one another, there was talk of the present, and there was talk of the past, but rarely ever was their talk of their future. The world of their union is fading—and even though the men are evaded by the reason as to why, the minute they talk about their own futures and the future of communism, they fall apart: their differences of opinion make it impossible for a decision to come about, and they end up exac...

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