Salisbury Playhouse – until 22 September 2018
Reviewed by Jo Gordon
4****
The renowned Alan Bennett’s play within a play is centred around a fictitious meeting in 1972 between Poet Laureate, Wyston Hugh Auden (Fitz), and Composer Benjamin Britten (Henry); portrayed on stage as a play called Caliban’s Day. Actors Fitz (Matthew Kelly), Henry (David Yelland), Tim (Benjamin Chandler), Donald (John Wark) and George (Alexandra Guelff) are at rehearsals under the guidance of stage manager Kay (Veronica Roberts) and a rather stressed playwright Neil (Robert Mountford) .
There is a lot going on in this production. When the actors are out of character we see them battling with each other on how they think each persona should be played and rutting horns with the writer Neil, who wishes it to stay as pure to his play as possible much to the actors despair, whilst Kay has to massage their egos and get the job done.
In character Fitz plays an ageing Auden, unwashed and unkempt, taking to urinating in his sink and with a liking of rent boys, which is where Tim comes into his own as the young man Auden has arranged to visit in payment for a sex act. Donald’s Humphrey Carpenter is a BBC Journalist who is gathering information for both Auden’s and Britten’s biography and after a small incident where Auden mistakes him for the rent boy begins his questioning for the books. Henry’s Britten is a well dressed, poker backed gentleman currently composing for his opera, Death In Venice. Worried how the story line will be perceived by the public and how that will reflect on himself and his similar interests in young boys he seeks advice from Auden despite not having seen him for decades. All the time we flit in and out of the rehearsal and the actors being themselves or the plays characters. From Fitz’s struggles with remembering lines, being blessed with “a face like his scrotum” and needing to leave for his Tesco voice over to Donald trying to find his meaning in the play and wanting to add another dimension involving a tuba and a frock!
Playing two characters in such a way takes skill, which the cast have vast amounts of to keep the audience hooked. We see peoples vulnerabilities, deep emotions and darker sides yet share humour and laughter also. Not one for the prudish but a must see.