Talking Heads Review

York House is delighted to thank The Play’s The Thing Theatre Company for two wonderful productions of Alan Bennett’s “Talking Heads” monologues on March 29th & 30th.

Susan Whyte as the feisty but stubborn Doris and her cream-cracker under the settee gave us sometimes harrowing, sometimes tear-jerkingly funny, performance.

Charlotte Biseker was a very convincing would-be film-star, Lesley, pendulum-like between her sense of professionalism and self-worth and tragic naivety which leads to her downfall. Even after that, she remain an optimist, awaiting “Her Big Chance”.

Thanks to Rosemary Hill, the driving force behind the project, all proceeds from the Saturday evening and Sunday matinee were donated to York House’s building renovation fund – a lovely total of almost nine hundred pounds!

The two previous productions saw fine performances from Alex Forni as the mother-dependent, dysfunctional Graham in “A Chip in the Sugar”; Rosemary Hill taking on the Lady of Letters, Irene, who is not afraid to make her views about the wrongs in society known to everyone from the local chemist to HM Queen; Susan Whyte again with the newly widowed but stoic Muriel, naively reduced to poverty by the machinations of her unlovable son, but is “Soldiering On”; Rosemary returned as the bored, alcoholic housewife finding solace and self-worth on “A Bed Among the Lentils” with the dashing young shop-owner Ramesh Ramesh.

The three double-events have been a sheer joy with appreciative audiences delighted by the magical, incisive words of the great Alan Bennett and the equally enjoyable and absorbing performances. Altogether, touching £3,000 has ben raised for York House.

As their website  https://playsthethingtheatrecompany.co.uk/ says, The Play’s The Thing Theatre Company aims to produce thought provoking and exciting theatre.  We look forward to their next event at York House in January 2026. Meanwhile, don’t miss “A Taste of Honey” in May – https://playsthethingtheatrecompany.co.uk/productions/a-taste-of-honey

Photographs courtesy Simon Raynor.