In Praise of Love

One of Terence Rattigan’s wisest works, written when he was dying of leukaemia, is the title ironic? No, there is as much wit and tenderness in this play as bitter disappointment. After all the misunderstanding and crass clumsiness it’s love that triumphs. The excellent cast needed no period background music. Indeed, silence is important. Jo Castleton’s terminally ill Lydia stoically faces death with calm deliberation. George Telfer miraculously plays Sebastian as a cad with heart. John Hester makes Mark, the loving friend of them both, credible and decent. Chris Sheridan’s Joey nimbly switches between enthusiastic puppy and idealistic young man. Can Lydia safely leave the men in her life? The final (unscripted) business with the whisky glass tells it all.

Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne, 8 April 2014

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