Hampstead Theatre, London – until 25th November 2023
Reviewed by Celia Armand Smith
4****
A wave of laughter ripples up through the auditorium as a stairlift comes into view down the stairs at the back of the stage. On it, a greying woman ascends and descends at a snails pace as she’s torn between coughing calls from upstairs and the front door bell. The scene, and the bar for humour have been set for this comical take on geriatric life and families that have grown up, and moved on and out. Richard Bean’s new comedy, To Have and To Hold, is set in the village of Wetwang in Yorkshire, at the house of Jack and Florence Kirk. Jack (Alun Armstrong) and Flo (Marion Bailey) have summoned their adult children, Tina and Rob (Herminone Gulliford and Christopher Fulford), home to face the reality that is living into your 90s in growing isolation.
While nothing really happens in this domestic comedy directed by Richard Wilson and Terry Johnson (there is some mild peril involving a bank account), the heart of the show lies in the main performances by Bailey and Armstrong. The relationship between the two is fiercely funny and very familiar – bickering, deafness, forgetfulness, stories, health woes, technologies beyond their ken, and loads of tea. They have a neighbour called Rhubarb Eddie (Adrian Hood) who comes and helps out, as well as a niece who lives nearby and is very pleased to passive aggressively tell Rob and Tina who have moved away from their hometown that they should be around more.
Jack, who was in the police force, regails everyone with stories, something that his writer and filmmaker son Rob is desperate to record but somehow never gets round to. The importance of holding on to your elders’ memories and making a record of the little things is a recurring them throughout. The classic British home set is perfect, beautifully designed by James Cotterill. From the tape recorder to the phone with the big buttons, to the front door which is constantly being locked and unlocked. At one point stage-hands are dressed as a removals company and skillfully change the scene.
To Have and To Hold is funny, gentle, and moving. It has lots of laughs, big and small, and lots of love at the core, plus a familiarity that those of us with ageing parents will recognise. The technological isolation that comes with age, and the geographical alienation that comes with progress, coupled with the pride of not wanting to appear too old but also knowing that your body is starting to crumble, are all played out with skill and humour. My main takeaway was be there to listen to and cherish the stories we are told, and then record them for those who can’t be, or are yet to come.