Talking Heads

The secret of successfully performing these pieces lies in stillness, the tiny, single, eloquent action. These are characters who implode rather than explode. The overt, woefully misjudged, physicality of the performances gave a comedic, vaudevillian aspect to the characters which was wholly inappropriate. Pathos was lost and so, paradoxically, was much of the humour. I’ve never witnessed a performance of, ‘A Chip in the Sugar’ and ‘A Lady of Letters’ which provoked so few laughs. Whilst it’s always a delight to see any of the ‘Talking Heads’ performed, that delight was, on this occasion, tempered with bewilderment and frustration. Subtlety. Subtlety…

The Marlborough Theatre, 10 May 2012

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