Summer 1954 – Table Number 9 & The Browning Version by Terence Rattigan. Richmond Theatre, 1 Little Green, Richmond TW9 to 01 February 2025 & on tour, 4☆☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.
Photo Credit: Manuel Harlan.
Summer 1954 – Table Number 9 & The Browning Version by Terence Rattigan. Richmond Theatre, 1 Little Green, Richmond TW9 to 01 February 2025 & on tour,
4☆☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.
“Finely acted Rattigan double bill.”
This handsomely staged and strongly cast revival of two of Terence Rattigan's plays has a strong cast led by Sian Phillips as the appaling Mrs Railton-Bell in Table Number 9, better known by the name of the film – Separate Tables – and in both plays by Nathaniel Parker. He plays the bogus major accused of being a sexual predator in Table Number 9 and the sad, disllusioned publc school teacher Crocker-Harris in The Browning Version. It is the first play, however, which is more interesting. When originally staged Major Pollock was accused of molesting women, but that was because there was no way that the Lord Chamberlain, who decided what could be seen on the stage, would have allowed Rattigan to do what he wished, which was to make the manhomosexual. Rattigan tried when it was subsequentl staged in New York and again was not allowed. But later he did alter the play and it has been done several times. Oddly it actually rather weakens the play's message as the residents of the boarding house do not do what Mrs Railton-Bell would have them do = have him sent away, but rally round. In addition Sybil, played by Alexandra Dowling, her down trodden, nervous wreck of a daughter finally breaks free. It is well played, a cast of fine character actors bring the inhabitants of the boarding house to life and while I actually think the original version the better one of Rattigan's play it still works very well. Both plays in fact are by no means, as he was often accused, French window affairs. In The Browning Version the marriage between Crocker-Harris and his unloving wife – Lolita Chakrbarti in a flaming red dress intent on turning every screw she can – is on the rocks. She is having affair with another young teacher, he is leaving for a lesser job with no prospects. Nathaniel Parker is very moving indeed as the world seems intent on piling one disaster on him after another – he is to get no pension from the school for on thing. The plot hangs on how Taplow, one of his pupils, gives him a copy of Robert Browning's version of Agamemnon by Aeschylus as a leaving present. It too was memorably filmed with Michael Redgrave in the role opposite Jean Kent as the wife. Rattigan was soon to be overtake by a whole new wave of playwrights led by John Osborne but these revivals show time has not affected their power to move an audience, to make it think about human relationships. The production will go next to Cheltenham Everyman from 3 – 8 February, and then Oxford Playhouse from 11 – 15 February.
Cast
Table Number Nine
Richenda Carey – Miss Meacham
Claire Carpenter – Casual Diner
Lolita Chakragarti. - Miss Cooper
Simon Coates.- Mr Fowler
Alexandra Dowling - Sybil Railton Bell
Bertie Hawes – Jim
Angela Jones – Jean Stratton
Jeremy Neumark-Jomnes – Charles Stratton
Rosalind Lailey – Dorothy
Pamela Miles.- Lady Matheson
Hugh Osborne – Casual Diner
Nathaniel Parker – Major Pollock
Sian Phillips – Mrs Railton-Bell
Fiona Tong – Mabel
The Browning Version
Lolita Chajrabarti – Millie Crocker-Harris
Simon Coates – Dr Frobisher
Bertie Hawes – John Taplow
Jeremy Neumark-Jones – Frank Hunter
Rosalind Lailey – Mrs Gilbert
Nathaniel Parker – Andrew Crocker-Harris
Kishore Walker – Peter Gilbert
Creatives
Director – James Dacre
Set & Costume Designer – Mike Britton
Lighting Designer – Charles Balfour
Original Music – Valgeir Sigurdsson
Sound Designer – Bella Kear
Movement Director – Arielle Smith