Quartet – Oxford Playhouse

Writer: Ronald Harwood

Director: Joe Harmston

Reviewer: Mary Tapper

The Public Reviews Rating:

I approached this play with some trepidation. It has an impeccable pedigree having been written by the Oscar nominated and Academy award winning Ronald Harwood, probably best known as author of The Dresser and screen writer for films The Pianist and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly amongst others. It also has a stellar cast with Timothy West, Gwen Taylor, Susannah York and Michael Jayston. My concern was that the plot sounded rather lightweight and I could not really imagine how the story could be anything other than a rather clichéd sitcom-like performance.

The plot centres on the three main characters Reggie, Wilfred and Cissy living in a retirement home and preparing to perform a concert to celebrate Verdi’s birthday. Their equilibrium is upset when Reggie’s ex-wife, an opera legend and diva arrives at the home: can Jean be persuaded to take part in the concert and ensure it is a spectacular success? Even the most enthusiastic theatre-goer would have to admit that this sounds rather like an episode of a sitcom in the vein of Waiting for God, the BBC sitcom starring Stephanie Cole…..would the play manage to add something extra and magical to a tale of ageing, regrets and reconciliation?

The good news is that it is a real treat to see a couple of the actors. Timothy West is masterful as the old timer constantly thinking about sex, always ready with a one liner to cheer the mood. He exudes confidence and is never hurried on stage. Gwen Taylor also gives a tremendous performance as Cissy, and although she seems a little too youthful at the start to be truly senile, by the last scene it does seem believable and we feel quite affectionate towards her.

The play has moments of humour and pathos, the first being far more successful than the second. I was frustrated that the play never dared to look at emotions deeply enough and as a result failed to soar. It was adequate without being exciting, safe, predictable, the sort of play you could take your elderly parents to and have them be amused but I would be surprised if anyone shed a tear or felt deeply for the characters. This may be in part due to the fact that Michael Jayston and Susannah York failed to convince as lovers: whilst they were word perfect there seemed to be little connection between the two of them and this created a barrier that could not be overcome. Having said that, the audience at The Playhouse really enjoyed this play so perhaps I am viewing it too harshly- as an evening’s entertainment it is good fun and very enjoyable to see theatre stars in action!

The set was adequate and lighting used to highlight couples in the second half quite effectively but ironically the message of the play was summed up in a quote “the point of art is to make you feel” and this performance failed to move me.