October 31, 2007
This piece of new writing by Cathy Thomas bills itself intriguingly as “A tragi-comic story of hope, friendship and… hats”, and certainly all these elements abound in a delightful and touching play which is at times satirical, at times direct and often very surreal. In this variety lie both the strengths and weaknesses of what is altogether a most accomplished script. Not all the jokes are laugh-out-loud funny – although in this particular production the preposterous delivery often makes them so – and not all the moments of reflection, brilliantly isolated by non-intrusive lighting as they are, quite grip the audience as one might like them to. Yet this story of Henry is altogether so lovingly crafted by director, writer and cast alike that one cannot help feeling moved by this consciously post-modern ‘day-in-the-life-of’ romp.
The plot is simple: Henry (Satbir Singh) has lost his hat and so he searches for it throughout the park. As he searches he comes across a veritable menagerie of characters – there’s the ludicrously pretentious couple with which the show opens (a comic gem of a cameo from Beth Williams as an air-kissing, air-headed socialite), the outrageous, not to say hilarious sight of Mark Cartwright in drag as the mother of two insufferable children, a visit from a melancholy Postman Pat and a drunken down-and-out who could out-sass the Artful Dodger. The cast prove highly adept in characterising all these several persons – it was a wonder to me when they came on for their curtain call to note how few actors there were in this cross-section of society! As the narrative progresses, the character of Henry becomes more and more delusional, mentally replacing his state as a homeless wanderer with images of a home and a loving wife (Róisin Watson). Here Singh is given a chance to shine, and it is a credit both to the writing and performance that he captures so astutely the sympathies of his audience.
Although Singh is at the emotional core of this performance, its success rests as much in the supporting cast, the assured direction and the clarity of vision evident in the writing. More than a worthwhile night out with a delightful comedy, this play dares to address social politics in Britain and for this, as well as for the jokes, is well worth a visit.
The plot is simple: Henry (Satbir Singh) has lost his hat and so he searches for it throughout the park. As he searches he comes across a veritable menagerie of characters – there’s the ludicrously pretentious couple with which the show opens (a comic gem of a cameo from Beth Williams as an air-kissing, air-headed socialite), the outrageous, not to say hilarious sight of Mark Cartwright in drag as the mother of two insufferable children, a visit from a melancholy Postman Pat and a drunken down-and-out who could out-sass the Artful Dodger. The cast prove highly adept in characterising all these several persons – it was a wonder to me when they came on for their curtain call to note how few actors there were in this cross-section of society! As the narrative progresses, the character of Henry becomes more and more delusional, mentally replacing his state as a homeless wanderer with images of a home and a loving wife (Róisin Watson). Here Singh is given a chance to shine, and it is a credit both to the writing and performance that he captures so astutely the sympathies of his audience.
Although Singh is at the emotional core of this performance, its success rests as much in the supporting cast, the assured direction and the clarity of vision evident in the writing. More than a worthwhile night out with a delightful comedy, this play dares to address social politics in Britain and for this, as well as for the jokes, is well worth a visit.