The Browning Version (Terrence Rattigan)
and
The Twelve Pound Look (J.M. Barrie)

Playhouse, 10th-15th July 2000

These two one-act plays are certainly contrasting pieces. They do not, however, compliment each other sufficiently to work well as a double bill. J.M. Barrie's farcical dig at stuffy old men seemed too superficial an act to follow the considerable depth and subtlety of Rattigan's The Browning Version.

Edward Fox is undoubtedly well-cast in the role of Crocker-Harris in The Browning Version. He conveys very movingly the character's acute withdrawal from the world of emotions, and the resulting effect both on the schoolmaster himself, and on those around him. Sally Edwards plays a vibrant Milly opposite Fox, which contrasts very well with his 'numbness'. It is easy to see why she, so alive, describes him as dead in this play.

The director has managed the tone of this first play very cleverly. The opening scene between the lower-fifth schoolboy Taplow and the young and approachable science master Hunter is played in an almost slapstick mood. When, later on in the play, both of these characters begin to feel the affection and pity they have for Crocker-Harris, the contrast with their former selves makes the pathos of the later scenes all the more striking. In this way Crocker-Harris moves from being the object of amusement, to the focus of the audience's empathy.

The comedy of J.M. Barrie's The Twelve Pound Look is, however, unrelenting. Although this play takes the inequality between men and women as its theme, it does not develop it beyond the level of a farce. The play could work well if put on in the right context, but as a part of this double bill it is not only wasted, but is made to seem inadequate. In addition to this, Edward Fox does not change his character from The Browning Version enough, and therefore the play serves to undermine our confidence in his ability to play a part, rather than simply himself. If you can forget the second act, however, you will be left satisfied and perhaps touched by Rattigan's complex and quietly powerful play which explores the question of men and women in a very thought-provoking way.

Emily Hardiment, 11 / 7 / 00