The final programme in the Belltable's season of fringe theatre includes a new one-act play for solo actor written by Michael West, produced by the Corn Exchange. It was commissioned to be performed on both radio and stage.
George Foley is the last in an Irish Protestant line., of a family in the minor gentry category. They live in a large house and keep servants. He grows up to detest their genteel arrogance, and marries a Catholic nurse to spite them, then learns to despise her. The narrative, soon engrossing, is studded with vivid set-pieces. George, walking in the dusk, has an encounter with a horse, an experience which haunts him. A fire in the kitchen has comical, yet significant consequences. A family meal at Easter, with an eccentric great-aunt, proves to be a farcical turning point.
The author writes in a vivid, literate style which can veer from the sardonic to the passionate. He brings to life a number of credible characters, and integrates them into his 90-minute monologue. The play, within his self-imposed limitations, is a miniature of truly creative writing, ready for the right actor to give it life.
Andrew Bennett does just that. There is not a dull moment as he takes us into George's mind, through a life that ultimately returns him to the heritage he sought to escape. He has a hypnotic, dark-brown voice, and the skill of controlled gesture and pause. Between them, author and actor fashion a small gem.
Last show tonight; to book phone 061-319866