Janie and I rated this one:
Very good indeed…
…yet it fails to register in my usual lookup places (Wikipedia, Theatricalia) on lists of Shelagh Stephenson’s work.
It looks as though Janie booked this one almost as an afterthought. Perhaps she thought we’d have no time before the Christmas madness and then felt ready and at a loose end just ahead of the Saturday. She’s written:
A9 & 10, £40.35 Joanna Pearce playing Bea.
Perhaps a client recommended it to her.
Let’s see what the critics said. Our friend, Michael Billington, liked it despite its flaws:
Ancient Billington Guardian 7 Dec 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Nicholas de Jongh gave it the dreaded Standard blob as its rating:
Ancient de Jongh Standard 7 Dec 2000 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
But then again, Charles Spencer really liked it:
Ancient Spencer Telegraph 8 Dec 2000 The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
I must say the scenario looks like the sort of play we would actively avoid now, so my guess is that it is well writ and was very well acted by an excellent cast, not least Dermot Crowley & Joanne Pearce.