Talking Heads -Review by Jef Pirie 

Oh Joy! I’ve been banging on for years, saying that there should me more ‘variety drama’, ‘mosaic storytelling’, (otherwise known as ‘a number of different plays in one evening’), and Teignmouth Players, known for their willingness to take chances, have come up with a cracker.

‘Talking Heads’ is a classic piece, written by the master, Alan Bennett. Now, you would think that with a brilliant script such as this, all you have to do is learn the lines, stand back and let the play do the work, but like all the best art there is a tender subtlety here that could easily be lost by a heavy-handed director or non-empathetic actors. Here, though, director Bruce Sibley has been the invisible alchemist, so the settings, movement and performances have been skilfully managed so as to make it all look easy, a great trick to pull off.

On some evenings there are changes to the cast, and I’ve now seen each one. All the actors turned in excellent performances, I haven’t seen such a consistently good standard on one stage for some time.

Dan Wilkin as Graham Whittaker in ‘Chip in the Sugar’ manages the difficult trick of being impatient with his ageing mother and her choices, whilst somehow letting us know that he’d be lost without her.

Layla Crabtree as the letter writing nosy parker Irene Ruddock, in a ‘Lady of Letters’, rides the light and shade changes skilfully, and the character transforms before our eyes. Charlotte Ewart times her pauses to perfection, and marks the journey clearly.

Lesley, the character in ‘Her Big Chance’, is someone you might not readily warm to, she sometimes seems shallow and gratingly naïve, but Kate O’Connell makes us care for her, as she leads us to a conclusion that is convincingly surprising.

A Cream Cracker Under the Settee could easily be a difficult watch as Bennett has written the last character to be one who is the most physically challenged. Laura Wilson-Back has a gentle vulnerability that almost makes us want to help her, and Marilyn Adams finds the right level of courage and dignity in distress.

So – all perfectly wonderful then? Well, you wouldn’t believe my enthusiastic appreciations above if there wasn’t something. Some of the gags were missed – I know Bennett is subtle, and his punchlines are like the crests of rolling hills rather than rocky peaks, but they are there, and they’re important to contrast with the poignancy. Also, the cast have to watch getting into an unconscious conspiracy to play at the same tempo, a common problem with any ensemble. Finally, it’s playing in the round, folks, so please play more to all sides.

All of that is do-able, and I saw work in progress. This is a great show. Come and see it.

Jef Pirie