Rattle of a Simple Man

Synopsis

Timid football fan Percy is down from Manchester with the lads and after the match is picked up by lovely young prostitute Cyrenne. The lads bet he won't spend the night with her but, uncharacteristically he accepts the bet and goes to her basemen flat. He is shy, gullible and believes all her lies about her exclusive education, her rich family and her exciting life. He would rather talk then 'do' anything and gradually they open up to one another - she learns about his loneliness, his longing for love, his dull job and hobbies. Eventually he discovers she's from an ordinary background, abused by her stepfather, and is struggling for some pride and independence. The secrets of their hearts somehow balance out and, at the end of the play, it looks as if Percy might have the courage to..or will he?

Our Review:

12 May 2004

"Sexual intercourse began in nineteen sixty-three", according to the famous Philip Larkin poem which goes some way to explaining why the lead character in Charles Dyer's Rattle of a Simple Man - originally premiered in 1962 - has managed to reach the age of 35 when the play begins without having experienced it. He was simply a year too early. But if that was really the case, we could have all gone home early, and not have had to sit through two-and-a-half hours of this pleasant but sometimes peculiar and dated play.

It's a sex comedy in which the sex is explicitly on the menu but never fulfilled, as our Manchester virgin called Percy - down in London on a football supporting jaunt - accepts an expensive bet with an unseen mate called Ginger to see whether he can go through with a date with a call girl whom he's met at a drinking club. It's not just Percy's name that gives you the nod that this is a period piece, nor the fact that a £5 note is eno...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com (193.128.173.20) - 14 May 2004:

A touching, lovely play. All 3 cast members were on form, with Tompkinson the class act to the fore. Collins is playful, showing she can do comedy perhaps better than soapy drama. Hopefully the audience figures will pick up; the show deserves a decent run....

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