To Have and To Hold company. Credit Marc Brenner.Hampstead Theatre’s latest offering is from the pen of Richard Bean who gave us One Man, Two Guv’nors, and is jointly directed by Richard Wilson and Terry Johnson. Set entirely in the chintzy old-fashioned living room of their Yorkshire home in isolated Wetwang, it’s immediately apparent just how disconnected the pair feel from the convenience tools designed for modern living. Internet life, especially online banking, is a baffling mystery and they resort instead to relying on Rhubarb Eddie to draw £100 for them each week from a cashpoint on his way back from tending 3 allotments. The nearest supermarket is mocked for being German (and for selling eggs in 15’s rather than dozens) and if Jack has to turn-down one more of Florence’s offers of a cup of tea or remind her that the front door key is in her apron pocket, he will surely combust. Thus the intimate and irritating stage is set for multitudinous scratchy exchanges of the familiar and perplexing variety, showing the couple dependent upon the goodwill of familiars and potentially at the mercy of busy professional off-spring. Assumptions are made, accusations thrown and amusing barbs flow thick and fast as memories flounder and infirmities inhibit the simplest of life chores.
The play is littered with northern stereo-tropes especially around carefulness with money and keeping matters simple, but Jack’s periodic anecdotes, gently shared with his old tape recorder when no-one is around, lifts the mundane into an altogether more charming and nostalgic realm. In less adept hands the play could have taken on an air of corny irrelevance, but the writing team, directors and cast are all singing from the same song sheet and the end result is a rich and fruity concoction with the occasional bit of bitter peel to mull and chew over.
Joining Armstrong in the cast, are Marion Bailey at Florence, Christopher Fulford as Rob, Hermione Gulliford as Tina, Adrian Hood as Rhubarb Eddie and Rachel Dale as Pamela.
