Terrence Rattigan's hit play of 1955, is given a new light in the west end's latest revival "Separate Tables". Though the subject in the 1950s caused a great stir, forcing Rattigan to rewrite certain portions of the play, the subject today is one that would not stir up emotion to the level that it had caused in the 1950s, if any emotion at all The play centres around a group of lonely guests that are residing at the Beauregard Hotel in Bournemouth. In the 50s it was usual for guests to live in hotels and also to dine by themselves, hence the term "Separate Tables". The hotel atmosphere is turned over, once a pompous Mrs Railton Bell discovers that Major Pollock, is hiding a terrible secret, and wants to protect her frail daughter, Sybil, who in fact is in love with the Major, despite the age differences. On the other end of the hotel, John Malcom, a alcoholic and failed writer is attempting to keep his engagement to the hotel owner -Pat Cooper, a secret, that is until his ex-wife turns up, to claim him back In what would be a difficult play to comprehend and follow, for this time period, Separate Tables manages to pull off with conviction, that due to the emotions the play contains The lead cast do an excellent job of displaying the natural human behaviour, that could be expected of anyone in the predicaments, these characters face.
Hannah Whiteoak, is simply amazing as Pat Cooper. She plays the part with such ease and simplicity, that you can hardy guess that she is acting. William Clothiers as John Malcom, is good in parts, but struggles to find the much needed emotion in later scenes. Amy Bragwyn is beyond beautiful in her scenes, and strikes a good balance between playing a bitchy and sensitive character.
The play though is taken away by Rahul Nath and Danielle Moran, who in their lead roles, go beyond shining performances. Nath has a habit of transforming himself in each role that he does, and this time round, there again is no disappointment. He is convincing as the Major, and great in his emotional scene with Moran. His timing of emotional display is right on the mark. His adopted Major voice injects a much needed laughter in the parts, that it is required. Nath proves with this role, that he is capable of more than just comedic performances. Moran is great as Sybil and plays her frailness to perfection. We gather compassion for her as the play unfolds. It is great to see her character transition towards the end of the play The later scenes with Moran and Nath are moving and tearful. A great play to take you back in time, but a fantastic play to show how human emotion and fear, deals with difficulties of life
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article