REVIEW: ONE LAST WALTZ by Luke Adamson at Bridge House Theatre, Penge until 17 June 2023
‘The play’s timeless themes of living with dementia are explored with heart, sensitivity and plenty of laughs’ ★★★★
Artistic director of Bridge House Theatre, Luke Adamson has restaged his play, ONE LAST WALTZ, Seven years after its first tour, in celebration of its publication. The play’s timeless themes of living with dementia are explored with heart, sensitivity and plenty of laughs. It is a very enjoyable show with changing relationships and an engaging story.
Alice is starting to forget things and whilst her daughter Mandy has noticed, neither of them are awakened to the possibility that she has Alzheimer disease. Husband George has died recently and one of Alice’s most enduring memories of him is their shared trip to Blackpool’s Tower Ballroom. She clutches happily at her ballroom shoes, which gives Mandy the idea of taking her back, for one last waltz. In Blackpool the lonely hotel receptionist, Georgette, quickly involves herself in their business helping to calm the rising tide of events that threatens to overwhelm them.
The three characters are nicely developed, with class-conscious direction from Adamson and Joseph Lindoe which is rarely seen, (as though these distinctions no longer exist). Alice and Mandy show their sophistication whilst Georgette, in a comically detailed vignette by Julia Faulkner, is miss busybody but in a good way. There is truth in all three portrayals, but Judy Tcherniak as Alice simply steals the show, with her understated performance, making the heart-breaking moments all the more real.
The staging is simply achieved with cardboard boxes and lights, but these still hold some surprises which are bound to delight. It’s all finished off with an unobtrusive sound design which allows the events of the play to take centre stage.
ONE LAST WALTZ by Luke Adamson at Bridge House Theatre, Penge 06-17 June 2023
Box Office https://thebridgehousetheatre.co.uk/shows/one-last-waltz/
Cast
JANNA FOX Mandy
JUDY TCHERNIAK Alice
JULIA FAULKNER Georgette
Artistic Team
Director LUKE ADAMSON & JOSEPH LINDOE
Writer LUKE ADAMSON
Producer JLA PRODUCTIONS
Sound Designer LUKE ADAMSON
ONE LAST WALTZ is published by Reynard Press https://renardpress.com/books/one-last-waltz/
We are very proud to announce that LONDON PUB THEATRES MAGAZINE is now an OFFIE AWARD WINNING publication
A ONEOFF Special Award has been awarded to London Pub Theatres Magazine and Editor Heather Jeffery for providing a vital forum for highlighting the excellent work that happens in rooms in pubs, with sensitive editing, and an acute sense of the importance of tiny fringe venues to the health and development of British Theatre