Quartet

What happens to those who dwell in the spotlight when their star fades with the inevitable advance of time? For Reggie, Cissy and Wilf, they now live in a retirement home for former singers and musicians where time passes much as it always does, with their performance as a trio at the upcoming celebration of Verdi’s birthday the bright spot on the horizon. The sudden arrival of Jean, Reggie’s ex-wife and the star that shone brightest of them all, throws their unchanging daily existence off balance and, perhaps, will allow the four of them to relive one of their greatest performances ever: the “Bella figlia dell’amore” from Verdi’s Rigoletto. But these once great singers have not sung in quite some time – can they dust off their vocal chords and shine once more?

Such is the, admittedly slightly tenuous, plot of Quartet by Ronald Harwood, which was adapted into a film in 2012 starring, amongst others, Maggie Smith and Billy Connolly. The Castle Players have taken on the challenge of bringing this to life with gusto; it’s the interactions between the characters that really drive this play, and the four actors performed admirably. Pete Bennet plays Reggie, the more intellectual and thoughtful member of the original trio, with delightful reserve, punctuated by the occasional outburst at his nemesis on the retirement home staff. He is wonderfully counterbalanced by Phil McMullen’s Wilf, who is incredibly earthy and raunchy and the dynamic between the two of them works very well. Cissy, played by Bev Smith, is amazingly ditzy but caring, forming the emotional heart of the cast and delivering some unexpectedly poignant moments. Last, but by no means least, Veronica Ryder brings the character of Jean to life incredibly well, looking down her nose at her new home and fellow residents with icy disdain.

This play has plenty of comedic moments, with the cast leaning into them very nicely, but there’s also some incredibly emotional moments which offset the comedy very well. How does one cope when the talents that got you so far are no more? How do you face someone who threw away what you had together? How do you save someone from the slow decline of their mental faculties? The cast handle these topics with dignity and tact, allowing for a very nuanced performance.

The staging is done very well, with the vast majority of the action taking place in a single room; I should add at this point that I particularly appreciated the stage crew during the scene changes being dressed as staff from the retirement home, which I thought was a very nice touch. Everything else, from lighting to sound (including the jokes from the audience during the quartet’s final performance) to props and wardrobe were all done very nicely indeed. Director, Linsey O’Neill, has brought a great team together and delivered an excellent show.

I would also like to draw particular attention to the “finale” of the show, the quartet’s performance. Whilst I don’t want to give too much away, I thought it was incredibly well performed and must have taken a lot of time, care and intense practice – all four of the cast should be congratulated for their craft in making something that could easily have become gimmicky or overly comedic into something worthy of the rapturous applause they received at the end. Very, very well done indeed!

Quartet has two more performances, Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd May at the Village Hall in Lytchett Matravers, and is well worth your time.