REVIEW: Still Life By Noël Coward at Grand Saloon Bar, Theatre Royal Drury Lane
'One is taken back to the great cinematic moments' ★★★ ½
Well, what a delight this was. Having begun its active life at the wonderful Mill At Sonning, Tam Williams’ Still Life has been transported to the gorgeous bar at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and re-invented itself as a ‘come and have a nice afternoon tea with a bit of immersive theatre’. Often this type of thing doesn't work - but this does.
A preclude to what became Brief Encounter, Still Life is a moving study of ‘ifs and buts’ and is quintessentially Noël Coward. The play is all about the silences, the looks and the quiet moments but, before this, we find ourselves seated either side of the glorious Grand Saloon Bar to indulge in a generous and tasty afternoon tea. For the record I had English Breakfast Tea and the mini sausage roll was the highlight - I could have had a bowl of them.
After a convivial hour of eating and chatting, a railway guard (Antony Jardine) enters with a ukulele and a gentle intro to the action begins. A small catastrophe arises when the sleek Laura (Rachel Pickup) catches some grit in her eye and, fortunately, there is a doctor in the house and Alasdair Craig’s Alec sorts her out. There is an immediate but gentle ‘something’ between the pair which we see fully bloom across multiple scenes across an extended timeline. Both are married, both have children but there is an overriding sense that a real love has taken hold. From Meeting 1 to Meeting 2 - both taking place in the waiting room - there has been a cinema trip and a lunch and the pair are clearly besotted but in a typically understated Coward-esque way.
Their relationship progresses and then - at a key point - so very slightly falls apart. There is an inevitability about what plays out and how it plays out but the journey is still very much worth it. The central performance from Pickup as Laura is a highlight - she is mannered and precise whilst exhibiting both joy and utter desolation when required. Craig’s Alec feels a little overly pushy at times and lacks the nuance to make us really feel for him and his situation - but the duo work well together. Their scenes are interspersed by some charming music and amusing moments from Jardine, Elizabeth Elvin as the cantankerous but hugely funny Myrtle and some standout vocals (plus trumpet and keyboard paying) from Seren Sandham-Davies.
One is taken back to the great cinematic moments within Brief Encounter and, indeed, the stage play from a good few years back by the great Emma Rice. The location here was iconic but, unsurprisingly, there were issues with sight lines and, more troublingly, sound as the high ceilings drowned out key moments. But, this was a joy and, as a friend and colleague noted, wouldn’t this work well in a real life railway waiting room with the trains roaring by like life itself.......
Bob and Co. & Wild Pursuit Theatre
present
STILL LIFE
by Noel Coward
Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Grand Saloon Bar
Catherine Street
London
WC2B 5JF
Tuesday 8 - Saturday 12 September
There are two performances each day
Afternoon Tea is served at 12noon
Performance starts at 1pm
or
Afternoon Tea is served at 3pm
Performance starts at 4pm
Running time of ‘Still LIfe’:
60 mins
Tickets:
£75
Image: Rachel Pickup Photo by Andreas Lambis
