Quartet – Theatre Royal, Brighton

Writer: Ronald Harwood

Director: Joe Harmston

Reviewer: Elizabeth Vile

The Public Reviews Rating: 　

What happens to the great and the good of the opera world once they decide to bow out from the world of the music and the greasepaint? How do they handle the end of their career and the loss of the constant praise and admiration that they once enjoyed? Well for three of them they are peacefully spending it in a retirement home for performers. When a forth lady, who was once a diva of the opera world, joins them their lives are no longer quite so peaceful.

Ronald Harwood’s play is a joyous but bitter sweet comedy that dignifies growing old and demonstrates that although the physical elements of a person declines the spirit does not.

The diva of the piece, Jean Horton, is played excellently by Susannah York. Her depth and understanding of the character was evident and her description of the end of her career was very touching. Micheal Jayston, as Reginald Paget, was the typical gentleman, but again the audience felt for him when this exterior cracked and we would see his true feelings bubble to the surface. The bulk of the comedy went to Gwen Taylor who played the eternally happy Cecily Robson and to Timothy West who took the part of Wilfred Bond. Their witty one liners and banter, although sometimes a little predictable, brought a lightness to the piece.

The cast kept up a good pace and the story never lost interest, my one problem was that a few of the jokes were cut short, or not performed in the clearest way which meant that some of the punch lines and meanings were lost. Although I do believe that over time this will naturally sort itself out.

The simple, but elegant set, worked very well and the actors seemed very at home on it. This design also leant itself to slick set changes which meant the interruption to the flow of the piece was minimal.

Although the auditorium was full it seemed a shame that the bulk of audience members seemed to be in the older age brackets. This play does and should appeal to a wide range of people because of the universal humour and topics involved. Do not be put off by the thought of having to sit through a play that includes opera as the piece is about so much more than that. Any opera references were made accessible to the audience and the odd one that I did not understand did not reduce my enjoyment of the piece. It is always interesting to get an insight into a person’s passion and learn why they love it so much.

This is a beautifully written piece of theatre, where time has been spent on developing each individual character and the mixture of comedy and pathos is well balanced. I would recommend this play to all who hope to grow old gracefully and maybe not so gracefully!