to panzer divisions conducting a blitz, especially when the tea trolley is pushed up the corridor by Nurse Wilson (Portia Dodds) who Cooper flirts with outrageously. The other invader is the hoover pushing cleaner, Mrs. Baker (Paula Keen), who Cooper antagonises but they always end up dancing. Cooper and Aylott have bonded over their plan that they are the “Escape Committee” resisting this POW regime and are planning their escape to Switzerland before they also lose it and become zombies, which has happened to the referred Colonel George, who has had to be fished out of the pond wearing his best blue suit. To keep their minds active, they recite the names of the 1947 Middlesex Cricket X1 but can only ever remember ten of them but rather than admit defeat they struggle on, even when Cooper’s daughter Julia (Jane Newman) and her husband Peter (Ian Fensome) bring a 1947 Wisden so the missing player can be identified. John Westbrook, had a mountain of dialogue to remember. Most of this play was very reminiscent of an Alan Bennett monologue – “Talking Heads”. He delivered the dialogue with confidence and the audience understood his reflective humour. The timing of the dialogue was excellent, as none of the humour was missed and there were long enough pauses for meanings to be internalised and became laugh-out-loud moments. His interaction with the other characters was different and varied. The resigned inevitability that his daughter and son-in-law, with whom he has little in common, would visit and be tolerated reminded me of times when, during hospital incarcerations, there is stunted discourse. It was evident that these people who were supposed to be close are not. There were a number of awkward pauses and beseeching looks between them that signalled their feelings. A high light of the play, for me, was the interaction John had with Portia Dodds as the nurse. There was good expression and understated comedy. The flirty dialogue was given with tongue in cheek humour. Both actors created the impression that they liked and relied on each other, especially the nurse who treats Cooper as a father figure and entrusts him with details of her private life.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODU3MzQ=