It was a lovely surprise to be invited to review two performances from Alan Bennett’s famous Talking Heads monologues; A Lady of Letters and Soldiering On. It has been a couple of decades since I saw any of these classic monologues performed on stage, so I was very much looking forward to refreshing my memory of Bennett’s well-told tales of ordinary people.

Presented by The Play’s The Thing Theatre Company, tonight’s production is part of a regional tour in October 2025, continuing on to Coventry (23rd), Chipping Camden (24th), Thetford (29th) before the final show at St. Alban’s (30th). The company is enthusiastic about contributing to the local arts offerings in their home city of Milton Keynes and produce “thought provoking and challenging work with high production values” as well as making such work affordable to all audiences, and investing in training for actors, role-play for businesses and workshops for schools.

Tonight’s performances were beautifully portrayed by Caroline Mann (Irene Ruddock in A Lady of Letters) and Sue Whyte (Muriel Carpenter in Soldiering On). With a simple set of a wingback chair and a separate table and chairs used for both monologues, and subtle lighting changes and homely (think Last of the Summer Wine) interstitial music to show the passing of time, it was the acting that took centre stage, and with Bennett’s eloquent and poignantly comic writing, both performances were impeccably rendered.

Irene Ruddock is quite literally a ‘lady of letters.’ She writes to all and sundry with her complaints about society, whether they are large or inconsequentially small; indeed, the Queen is not even safe from her written crusades. Mann’s portrayal eases us into Irene’s meddling and her seemingly harmless letter-writing, with her subtle, nuanced performance lulling the audience into laughing along at her activities before it becomes clear that her assumptions may be misguided and could result in more serious consequences than she realises.

Whyte’s portrayal of recently widowed Muriel Carpenter is just as nuanced and well-delivered. While the monologue starts with her describing details of her husband’s wake, with lots of laughs (Bennett’s observational writing at its best), it soon becomes clear that the men in her adored family are not necessarily the good citizens she initially paints them, or believes them, to be. But it is her ignorance to her own part in historic familial trauma that is the most poignant and heartbreaking.

Both performances were expertly executed by the actors, and I would highly recommend a visit to future shows for a thought-provoking evening with some laughs thrown in for good measure.