REVIEW: DUET by Otho Eskin at Tabard Theatre 18 April – 11 May 2024

“Occasional sparks in the darkness” ★★

It’s one hundred years since the death of Eleonora Duse, one of the greatest actresses of her day. Last year, actress Sarah Bernhardt was celebrated with an exhibition of her legacy at the Petit Palais in Paris and both women were recently spotlighted at the recent Victoria & Albert’s Diva exhibition. So, it’s timely these two legends are at the Tabard in Chiswick for the UK premiere of Duet by writer, Otho Eskin and director, Ludovica Villar-Hauser.

The premise for the play is an imagined encounter between the two women a month before Duse’s death. As she prepares for the role of Marguerite in The Lady of the Camellias in a Pittsburgh theatre, the requisite white roses on her dressing table, her ghostly nemesis appears. Billed as a ‘rivalry for the ages’ what is presented is a measured discussion between two passionate performers who could not contrast more in their lives, personalities or approaches to the craft.

Bernhardt, fashion icon and pal of Oscar Wilde, famed for her theatrical attitude, melodrama and swooning (arguably the originator of Madonna’s “vogueing”) is played with great mischief by Wendy Morgan and states: “‘posture is the difference between vaudeville and art” and that, "one should learn to sit with irony.”

Dusa, on the other hand, her Italian contemporary is more au naturel. This performer who could blush on demand and sought authenticity in her characterisations brings a more dour presence to the proceedings, her integrity and understatement clearly conveyed by Cynthia Straus: “Dusa lets you feel rather than see. All the rest is chaos and vanity."

There is an expectation of a fierce clash of words, perhaps a cat fight, at the very least, an “act-off” but Duet is all about the dialogue, the endless reveries and soliloquies. As key events are recounted and biographical nuggets revealed in this piece of undoubtedly well-researched work, the audience listens… and listens. There is no escalating action and even the inherent conflict between these two flattens because each patiently listen while the other speaks.

The light relief is provided by Nick Waring who seems to appear in a revolving door of different accents but even his skill in comic timing cannot stave off the surprising lack of drama in this static production which seems much longer than the ninety minutes it is. A special mention for the elegant costumes recreated by Alice McNichols and the dramatic lighting by Carly Atberg but Duet misses many opportunities to create moments of music, dance or tooth-spitting war. With occasional sparks in the darkness, in the final analysis, this show fails to ignite.

Images by Ali Wright

DUET by Otho Eskin

Directed by Ludovica Villar-Hauser

Produced by Parity: https://parityproductions.org/

Cast

Wendy Morgan as Sarah Bernhardt

Cynthia Straus as Eleonora Duse

Nick Waring as The Man