REVIEW: TO HAVE AND TO HOLD By Mark Bastin at The Bread & Roses Theatre 29 Nov – 10 Dec 2022

‘the rickety old backbone of society's expectations is laid bare in this beautiful story about an elderly couple’ ★★★★★ 

Social realism and direct address for this play about an elderly married couple whose backstory unfolds to reveal the rickety old backbone of society's expectations. These are the very mores explored in Ibsen’s The Doll’s House, encompassing the entrapment of women. The show explores the role of wife and mother along with presumptions that all women want children and that all men aren’t interested in domesticity. 

It is a beautiful and believable depiction of role reversal, with the husband, Dennis (Mark Steere) being ‘maternal’. This quiet and unassuming man has complete faith in his wife and his adoration of her is charmingly portrayed. The wife, Gina (Susan Graham) whilst clearly unfulfilled, exudes a vital love of life, ironic given her condition in the play, (you’ll have to see the show to understand this comment). 

Director Finlay Glen has perfected the piece with small details, such as Dennis slowly folding his wife’s clothing with devotion. At the same time, we are hearing from Gina about how she feels pinned down in marriage and motherhood and yearns for escape. 

The set design by Ceci Calf helps to add symbolic details, from the solid pebble dashed walls to the barely overlapping circles on the floor and the sound design from PJ Nielsen compliments the fundamentals of the piece. The period songs are so apt to the script and enjoyable to hear whilst other sounds are very sparingly used and help to grip the attention of the audience.  

Finally, the complexity of the story, about this working-class couple, about love, about tenderness of care, and the irony of fate is so clearly shown, thanks to the entire team, assisted by a cleverly structured script by Mark Bastin. Bastin has clearly plumbed details from his own background as well as using his imagination (and presumably doing some research) to give the piece a feeling of authenticity. The period details of the piece are lovingly reproduced.

Photographer credit: Cristian Solimeno

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD By Mark Bastin

The Bread & Roses Theatre

68 Clapham Manor Street

29 November to 10 December 2022

Tuesday - Saturday at 7.30pm

Tickets £15

Box Office: 020 8050 3025

https://app.lineupnow.com/event/to-have-and-to-hold

Presented by New Troubadour Theatre Theatre | New Troubadour | Est. 2021

Reviewed by Heather Jeffery, Editor of London Pub Theatres Magazine