Enchanted April
Performed at The Talisman Theatre on Monday 14 April [until 19 April 2025].
Only four years after the end of WW1 and the loss of a generation, and the gloom of the nation was reflected in the seemingly incessant rain in Hampstead, where Lotty [Paige Phelps] reflected on her life. Paige perfectly captured Lotty’s enthusiasm and exuberance which was being suppressed in her marriage to Mellersh [Ben Ionoff]. Lotty longed for more and was perhaps implausibly drawn to Rose [Eleanor Lake].Rose was diametrically opposite in personality and Eleanor communicated her dour and downcast demeanour.
Clever staging by set designer Michael Seeley had mirror image dining rooms in the homes of Lotty and Rose, allowing us to see the behaviour of the respective husbands. Mellersh was controlling and straight-laced, a product of his time, not given to displays of emotion. Rose’s husband Frederick [Phil Spencer] was a writer of racy novels but there was clearly an elephant in their dining room that they were both carefully avoiding addressing. All four actors depicted their characters well.
Impulsive and impetuous Lotty bullied Rose into taking a holiday in Italy without their husbands, and recruiting two female holiday companions, Lady Caroline [Gillian Halford] and Mrs Graves [Chris Carpenter]. Caroline had been featured in the tabloids of the day and Gillian conveyed her superficial insouciance while hinting at covering something more underneath. Mrs Graves never revealed her first name, as Chris gave her the waspish air of a snobbish Maggie Smith, name-dropping literary giants she had met as a child.
After the interval the pace and mood picked up considerably. The lighting and set design meant we could feel the warmth of the Italian sunshine and blue skies on the veranda overlooking the harbour, as two other characters enlivened the scene. Teresa Robertson as the cook Constanza brought humour and light relief as she spoke only Italian throughout, but her exasperated expressions and gestures made the meanings clear. James McCabe was Anthony, an artist with intense sincerity, who owned the property and visited to see how the guests were settling in. Anthony clearly had hopes for some intimacy with any of the women, and James was excellent as his facial expressions and gestures showed his frustrations as he was thwarted when husbands arrived unexpectedly.
But he was not as surprised or frustrated as Lady Caroline when her hopes were dashed. Ben’s mishap in the bathroom was hilarious as he appeared with only a towel to cover his modesty…some of the time. No spoilers but as the scene developed, truths were revealed [no pun intended about Ben revealing things], elephants in the room were addressed and there were reconciliations and self-honesty for the characters.
The play was based on a book written in 1922. With the aid of Rosemary Gowers’ excellent period costuming and guidance from director Maurice Smith, The Talisman gave a full house this delightful light comedy with gentle manners.
Tickets from: More Info Enchanted April - Talisman Theatre And Arts Centre