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Talbot House
Summary
Review of Beyond Eternity Productions' Talbot House
Sudbury Upper School
17th October 2009
The Quay Theatre Sudbury
A story in words and music of the First World War haven for all soldiers, regardless of rank
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According to its program, "Talbot House tells the story in words and music of the First World War haven for all soldiers, regardless of rank."
Beyond Eternity Productions promises to provide audiences with "shows hand-picked for quality, interest and artistic value", but unfortunately Talbot House seemed only to be written for those to whom World War One is especially fascinating.
Although the idea behind the play was an absorbing one, the play itself proved to be little more than a series of monologues and seemingly random bursts of song, interspersed only occasionally with interaction between the characters. Although these same characters were interesting, each with their own series of quirks and defining characteristics, they never truly developed throughout the play. Indeed, Peter Gill himself- playwright and director of Talbot House - seemed unsure of his own character, Arthur Pettifer. The characters of Frank (Matt Johnson) and Maurice (Dan Peacey) were interesting but sadly also underdeveloped.
The performance was, however, interspersed with moments of amusement, whether scripted or thrown out by the cast, a welcome break from the 1 hour 45 minutes of static monologues.
There were also emotional moments, as the playwright finally managed to convey the horror of the war in which Talbot House was an island of peace. If only the entire play had been so poignant.
Hanna Bunting
Sudbury Upper School
17th October 2009
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Last updated on: 23 March 2010 | Date of next review: 23 March 2011
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