Whispers Along the Patio

Inexplicably attracting some favourable coverage at the Stephen Joseph
Theatre in Scarborough, David Cregan‘s new play {Whispers Along the
Patio::L01733961948} offers little satisfaction,
either in terms of sheer entertainment value or as the thought-provoking
piece you clearly feel he intends this to be.

Matthew is an elderly man living in comfortable retirement in Richmond,
wondering if the stormier
aspects of life and passion have passed him by forever. His wife has left
him
years earlier for a Hungarian, his interfering niece works in the local
charity shop and his life is devoid of stimulation; his most exciting outlet

being the rosebush on his patio.

Then one day he takes a walk in Kew Gardens,
meets both a businessman and a young Macedonian girl and the cosy but empty
tenor of his life changes dramatically. After this initial meeting, the
characters play out what amounts to a interpersonal version of musical
chairs, culminating in a disastrous dinner at Matthew’s house where no-one
emerges in a particularly good light.

Whispers deals with the fallout when individual desires and wider
social concerns come into dramatic collision. Most of the characters in this

play are concerned only with their own pressing desires, ignoring the wider
implications of their actions and the need for collective responsibility.

Faintly reminiscent of Arthur Miller‘s All My Sons which follows a
similar trajectory but does so in infinitely superior style, the
strongest emotions this motley bunch evoke is an overpowering irritation as
they wallow in their own misery and frustration, cocooned in their
insularity.

Whether this is simply due to implausible writing, poor direction (by Sam Walters) or weak performances is
difficult to discern, but the overall effect remains the same. It’s
frustrating to see a potentially interesting idea wasted in this way. For
something advertised as a comedy, it has precious few real laughs and even
less impact.

– Amanda Hodges