Goodbye Gilbert Harding (tour)

Long before Big Brother‘s reality, in the monochromatic dawn of BBC television, when game-show panellists wore evening dress and smoked cigarettes on air, cameras were the size of Smart cars and studio technicians wore grey lab coats, Gilbert Harding became one of the medium’s first celebrity victims.

David Giles‘ premiere production of Leonard Preston’sGoodbye Gilbert Harding tells of the private torture suffered by an extremely complex, academically brilliant but grossly intolerant, compulsively outspoken, alcohol-propelled, asthmatic, anxiety-ridden, gay radio and television personality.

Preston has used the intimate memoirs of Harding’s long-suffering private secretary Robert Midgely to create a powerful play, set in the days before the Wolfenden Committee, when homosexuality in Great Britain was not only a crime punishable by imprisonment, but was also actively persecuted by the police.

Despite all his foibles and his acid tongue, Gilbert Harding is sympathetically portrayed by Edward Woodward, who appears at ease as the bejowled, ginger-moustached broadcaster, not once allowing the audience to lose compassion for this very difficult and tormented personality. The fondness between Harding and his loyal secretary, played by Jonathan Cullen, is apparent, although their relationship is often tested beyond all tolerance. Cullen brings great sensitivity to the part, and the development of his character during the play, from timid out-of-work actor to right-hand man and confidante, is masterfully achieved.

In an excellent supporting company, Frances Cuka bounces as Harding’s buxom Cockney housekeeper and Joshua Henderson plays Midgely’s live-in lover Eric with gritty toughness whereas the two police officers, Christopher Saul and Patrick Nielsen, give chilling insight into the terror wreaked on private individuals with an “unacceptable” sexual orientation. Only the too-light qualities of Helen Bourne‘s sensible journalist sidekick are called into question.

Kenneth Mellor‘s black and white set perfectly reflects the era, transporting the audience from studio to luxury apartment to Brighton villa with the aid of effective back projection. (Note: a slight adjustment of door angles would help sightlines for the majority of the audience).

A trifle overlong – with perhaps one or two inessential scenes plus early-run slowness – the production will no doubt snap together given a few more performances. An excellent evening’s entertainment is afforded by this riveting play about a time, thankfully, gone by.

– Annie Dawes (reviewed at Plymouth’s Theatre Royal)