The Questors Theatre, Ealing – until 24th October 2026
Reviewed by Mike Linane
3***
Irish writer Brian Friel’s Faith Healer is not your normal run-of-the-mill sort of play. It is four interlocking monologues in which three voices revisit a shared past. We begin with Frank Hardy’s account of his life as a travelling faith healer and of his relationship with the woman in his life, Grace. We then go on to witness her version of the same past. The third account we hear is that of Teddy, Frank’s manager, and then we return finally back to Frank himself. As was once said most famously “recollections may vary” and in this play indeed they do. It is left up to the audience themselves to work out which account they believe is the true one – or should they take bits of each retelling to form their own, unique version of what they believe to be the truth.
This is not an easy play to watch. The first two monologues are very long indeed and demand total concentration from the audience to ensure they don’t miss a slight aside that might just alter your opinion of the account being told. I must admit I did struggle at times to keep focussed on everything that was being said.
The Questors Theatre has an excellent reputation for staging first-class plays. I wonder if with this production director Roger Beaumont has been a bit too ambitious. The three cast members (David Lemkin as Frank the faith healer, Sarah Sharpe as Grace and David Erdos as Teddy, the agent) certainly give excellent performances worthy of gracing any stage but it was the material they were working with that left me feeling somewhat remote from feeling totally involved in the action.
If you are looking for a night out at the theatre that will leave you feeling entertained and that you have had an enjoyable experience this may not be the play for you. If, on the other hand, you want to see something that will make you work hard and concentrate as if your life depended upon it then this will be right up your street.