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Moa Myerson as Lesley, a wannabe star who finds her big break in the movies is in . . . should perhaps say, a more specialised market Talking Heads
Malvern Theatres
*** A lot can change in a mere few months and
my last trip to the theatre at the beginning of the year was a
completely different affair to the Covid times in which we now live and
breathe. In February as Storm Dennis continued to wreak
havoc across England. washing up ghost ships and forcing people to
evacuate their homes, Bond Girl Britt Ekland spoke to the shadows at
Malvern Theatres with her unnerving performance as Mrs Pleasant in
The Cat and the Canary. Now, amidst a Coronavirus Pandemic, theatre going
has changed somewhat with socially distanced seating, masked audience
members and hand sanitising around every corner, but how delightful to
be back watching Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads presented by Malvern
Theatres Young Company. First in the double bill was A Chip in the
Sugar where Graham Whittaker, played by Rhys Harris-Clarke, gave a
downhearted snippet into his life as a doting middle-aged son who
worries for his 72 year old mother’s bowel movements, which were
unpredictable at Morecombe, so what on earth would they be like on
honeymoon in Tenerife? Cardigan wearing Graham thinks the world of his
‘mam’ and longs to be number one forever despite Frank Turnbull’s
intentions. Rhys’s northern accent is spot on and great delivery “Never
mind about the stockings, what about your pelvis?” But then again Mam’s Dr Choudhury did say that
the best way to avoid a broken hip is to keep a flexible mind.
after Straight through with no interval we slide to
Her Big Chance where Moa Myerson’s Lesley, innocently traverses the
acting jungle armed with a harpoon gun. After a ‘Crossroads’ the path to
success leads to a vulnerable Lesley beneath the covers and compromised
to achieve her big break as Travis. She spends a lot of time topless and
shoots a man with a harpoon gun but with a 38 inch bust anything is
possible in the West German film market. Despite the dated script in these #MeToo times,
the simple storytelling was a joy to watch without too many deep
emotional pulls in this uncertain virus patch.
Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads, directed by Nic
Lloyd, is at Malvern Theatres until Saturday October 17th, for tickets
call the Box Office on 01684 892277 or online
HERE Emma Trimble 13-10-20 |
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