Yvonne Arnaud – until 16 November 2019
Reviewed by Heather Chalkley
5*****
Terry Johnson, writer and director, has captured beautifully the essence of an old man’s memories as he slips into dementia. He uses to great effect the backdrop of famous films such as African Queen and a whole host of leading ladies from the golden era of Hollywood, to bring to life the scenes he is reliving in his mind. You become lost in time yourself.
Jack Cardiff (Robert Lindsay) came from a Vaudeville family, growing up around stage and film. It seems fitting that towards the end of his life, reality became a re run of scenes from his career as a cinematographer. Lindsay (Cardiff) delivers the smooth flow of dialogue like liquid gold. You believe every moment. Tara Fitzgerald (Nicola) shows the pain of an ever present, long forgotten wife with grace. Her representation of Katharine Hepburn was remarkable and clearly well studied. You like the carer Lucy (Victoria Blunt) straight away. The inner knowing that she is a good carer shines through the outward lack of confidence. As her back story unfolds you cannot help but like her a bit more. Blunt is able to take on with ease the voices and persona of distinctive characters like Marilyn Munroe and Lauren Bacall. Together with Oliver Hembrough (Mason) the cast work seamlessly as one unit.
As Jack Cardiff himself said, “The director and cameraman work together to create an atmosphere.” In this case The Director (Terry Johnson) and The Creative Team bring cinema magic to the stage, with moving pictures and scenes from that golden age. A beautiful play that will touch your heart.