Park Theatre – until 22 March 2025
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
3***
A young couple spend their first, and last, night together in a hotel in Bath. Unfortunately for them, it’s the weekend of the Bath Blitz in April 1942, so their romantic night doesn’t end as planned.
Before the bombs, Leonard (Barney White) explains his nightmare to Violet (Cassie Bradley), trapped as he realises an approaching figure isn’t Father Christmas after all, but is a Japanese soldier. With Leonard’s imminent deployment, the couple’s excitement about spending the night together and the little lies they have told their families in preparation are explored in a sweet manner, with many awkward pauses. Leonard’s need to hear Violet promise that she’ll wait for him and their fear of what could happen are portrayed subtly and effectively.
Nick Payne’s gentle and nuanced writing leaves some things unsaid as we see two further meetings between the couple, in the 1960s and the 2000s. James Haddrell directs skilfully, and location changes and the passage of time are marked by Pollyanna Elston’s multipurpose set and slight costume changes.
In a park in Bath in the 1960s, Leonard’s resentment is still simmering as the audience learns that Violet did not wait, and married another man, with whom she had two children. Her life in Bath is full and busy, while Leonard is living with his mother in Luton. It’s not until you hear an almost throwaway line about the telegram that Leonard’s mother received that a darker reason for Leonard’s inability to move on becomes clear.
In the final scene, the actors portray the elderly characters without resorting to caricatures. The pair grapple with modern technology and discuss trivial matters like the Jaffa Cake VAT tribunal. Watching the couple continually fail to connect over the decades is heartbreaking and leaves the audience asking questions, but the characters and their lives are never sketched out enough to truly engage, and the unhurried pace of the play could be off-putting for some.
Barney White and Cassie Bradley are exceptional as the couple. Bradley is wide-eyed and adventurous as a young girl – and portrays the gradual diminishment of hope and energy as she ages throughout the play with naturalistic flair. Barney White portrays Leonard’s struggle sympathetically, keeping this sometimes-taciturn character endearing with a wonderfully nuanced performance.