Review: DOUBTING THOMAS, Theatre Royal Windsor
Photo credit: Jack Merriman
At a time when regional theatres seem under great financial pressure and the risk of staging new writing is too much for some producers to commit to, it is refreshing and exciting to see Bill Kenwright Limited continuing to stage new works at Theatre Royal Windsor. The latest production is Doubting Thomas, the first work from the recently announced Writers in Residence for the Theatre, Catherine O’Reilly and Tim Churchill, and it’s a very promising start.
In the past, contemporary single dramas would have appeared on TV as part of Armchair Theatre (1956 to1974) and Play for Today (1970 to 1984) or perhaps Tales of the Unexpected (1979 to 1988) and it is wonderful that Kenwright’s legacy is that his company continues to develop new works for the stage.
Doubting Thomas is a real Play for Today (with a touch of the Unexpected) with its interwoven themes of a family grappling with the impact of Dementia on the personality and capabilities of the father, marital relationships within the family, sexual identity and assisted dying. The topics feature regularly in the daily news feeds, and it is easy to imagine yourself or your family facing similar dilemmas. It makes the play feel fresh, relevant and thought provoking.
As the programme note reveals, the play starts with father Tom being cared for in a nursing home, leaving his wife, Jane, in the Edwardian family home in which the action is set. When Tom is found crouching over the dead body of one his carers, Mark, the family tensions are exposed as they try to understand what has happened and why a man with no ability to defend or explain himself must face a trial for manslaughter. The plot is cleverly structured, although in the first act, too often relationships are hinted at or alluded to, and it is difficult to piece together the puzzle. However, in the short second act, the script explodes into a powerful tense series of revelations that grip the audience and in one clever sequence, two parallel conversations take place adding drama and intrigue.
Felicity Dean plays the mother, Jane, coping with the situation as the house fills with her family. Her daughters, Sara (Claire Marlowe) and Anna (Eva O’Hara), have very different personalities and lifestyles, and Sara is struggling with her relationship with her teenage son, Ben (Louis Holland), as he studies for his A levels to secure a place at Durham University. Tom’s brother Peter (Gary Webster) has been absent from their lives for a while but turns up as Tom’s trial proceeds. Jane’s nephew, Matt (Ben Nealon), is a carer at Tom’s nursing home. As the tensions rise in the second act, the cast shine as their characters engage and force the revelations into the open.
Intrigue is added with a running theme of music from David Bowie and the significance of mobile phones to revealing the truths. The set too, cleverly recycled from previous productions, works well with a beautiful glass conservatory, and practical stairs and exits to the kitchen and outside, which mean the various interactions feel logical and realistic. The whole situation has an air of realism that is believable and relatable.
As with all new works, there are moments when the script could be tided up or clarified, but the compelling storyline and explosive second act make this a real theatrical treat. It runs at Windsor until 14 June but must surely have further life around the UK or perhaps find a route to the TV screens? The themes are challenging and topical, the characters real and interesting, and we can look forward to seeing what these writers do next for the bold producer, Bill Kenwright Limited. While we may be ‘Doubting Thomas’, there is no doubting the ambition and the potential of these writers.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Nick Wayne
Doubting Thomas plays at Theatre Royal Windsor until 14 June, with further info here.