Tuesday 06 July 2010
Quartet: Vintage Entertainment For the Discerning Palette @ Theatre Royal Brighton
Any play that contains Tim West, Michael Jayston, Gwen Taylor and Susannah York is bound to be at least interesting and probably funny, and indeed this one is (Quartet by Ronald Harwood, at Brighton Theatre Royal, 6th July).
In fact Quartet is a bit like an old jumper or an old pair of comfy shoes that you have always loved to wear, and love all the more for their age. Women readers may not fully understand this, but I am sure you can guess.
The plot is about three old opera singers in a home for retired singers and musicians, who are suddenly confronted by an old colleague that one of them was married to, and acrimoniously divorced from.
West and Taylor are hilarious while Jayston is as masterly as ever and York still has some of the star quality that made her famous.
There can be little doubt that all of them are enjoying the play and this positive atmosphere is a great help to the play's success.
There are some problems with this play, it is quite slow in many ways, but its humour is also well paced and gentle for at no time can it be considered boring
In these days of make and mend, it is fitting to rediscover an old play from ten years ago and patch it up with such fine acting material.
If you feel like a little leisurely entertainment from four seasoned performers then this is the night out for you.
Quartet plays @ Theatre Royal Brighton until Saturday 10th July. See www.ambassadortickets.com/Theatre-Royal-Brighton for more details.
by: Howard Young (Arts Editor)
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A Cast For All Seasons
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