Speaking in Tongues

This was one of the reasons why we wanted to organise a London Theatre Week in the first place. I had read about and was interested in the young Australian playwright, Andrew Bovell. I bought a copy of his play "When the Rain Stops Falling" but haven't read it yet. Our friends the Penroses are in Australia now and on their schedule they are going to see a performance of "When the Rain Stops Falling". It is also going into production at the Lincoln Center in New York in 2010. This is a young playwright busily making a name and reputation for himself internationally. Bovell also adapted this play "Speaking in Tongues" into a film, "Lantana", which I didn't see but heard recommended strongly. The cast includes John Simm and Ian Hart, two actors I admire greatly. For all these reasons we booked seats to see a matinee of the show.

"Speaking in Tongues" is publicised as a 'comic chiller'. It begins really well with two different men chatting up two different men in hotel bedrooms simultaneously. The intercutting of dialogue is expertly done to show the similarities and the differences in the two scenes. This is incredibly good ensemble work by all four actors. It continues in the same style into the second scene where each man has returned to his own home and is now in conversation with his wife. The audience is shown both these interactions happening at the same time. It sounds confusing to read it but in the expert hands of this quality of cast it was just well executed. There is some humour in subsequent scenes when the two men meet and when the two wives meet. Ian Hart during the course of the play take son three characters and the other three actors take on two roles each. All the other roles are clearly demarcated and we really are safe in the hands of this cast. My problem was that though I never lost interest in the play, I was never emotionally engaged by any character to a sufficient degree that I cared what happened to him or her. This is a quality cast doing quality work in a clever play well directed by Toby Frow and well designed by Ben Stones. I applauded appreciatively enough at the end but the play appealed more to my head than to my heart.