Less Than Kind
From: Tuesday, 18th January 2011
To: Saturday, 12 February 2011
Our Review: 
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Synopsis
Less Than Kind is the original 1944 play which was extensively rewritten for Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne with the title ‘Love in Idleness’ / US title ‘O Mistress Mine’. The plot concerns Michael Brown, an idealistic socialist 17 year old who on his return from five years’ evacuation in Canada during World War Two, is horrified to find Olivia, his widowed mother living with Sir John Fletcher, a married Tory MP and industrialist. The play centres on Olivia’s anguish as she is torn between her love for her son and for her lover.
Our Review:
Michael Coveney - 24 January 2011
The Terence Rattigan centenary celebrations have an intriguing start with a rarity, Less Than Kind (1944), directed by one of the playwright’s most constant champions, Adrian Brown, who has even “dressed” the set with one of Rattigan’s old typewriters.
“A little more than kin and less than kind,” is Hamlet’s first utterance in sour-faced response to Claudius’s conciliatory overture. Rattigan’s spoilt brat, Michael Brown, takes a dim view of his mother’s dalliance with cabinet minister and captain of industry (with War-time responsibility for tanks) Sir John Fletcher.
Both adults are separated from their respective spouses, and Michael, played with an appropriate and ghastly priggishness by David Osmond, is soon embroiled with one of them himself: Caroline Head’s voluptuous, soignée Lady Fletcher.
Michael Darlow’s programme note charts the fascinating ...
Cast
Michael Simkins (Sir John Fletcher)
Sara Crowe (Olivia Brown)
Caroline Head (Diana Fletcher)
David Osmond (Michael Brown)
Katie Evans (Polton)
Gillian Roy (Miss Dell)
Creative
Terence Rattigan (Author)
Planet Theatre Productions Ltd (Producer)
Alex von Saxe Productions Ltd (in association with Jermyn Street Theatre) (Producer)
Adrian Brown (Director)
Suzi Lombardelli (Design)
Justin Emrys-Smith (Lighting)
Justin Emrys-Smith (Sound)
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