The Old Ladies by Rodney Ackland, The Finborough Theatre, 118 Finborough Road, London SW10 until | 19 April 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Russell

Photo credit: Carla Joy Evans

The Old Ladies

by Rodney Ackland

The Finborough Theatre, 118 Finborough Road, London SW10 until | 19 April 2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Russell

“A compelling tragic tale of old age and loss.”

Strongly cast this production of Rodney Ackland's 1935 play about three ladies down on their luck living in a rooming house in a cathedral city in the North of England is undeniably dated but it still works as a compelling and tragic story. It was a hit for Ackland, one of several for in his day he was a leading West End dramatist. The original production directed by John Gielgud starring Edith Evans, Mary Jerrold and Jean Cadell was hailed as “an icy tragedy” by The Times and Evans played the role several times in subsequent productions. It does show its age – but that is not the point. What it has to say about loneliness, genteel poverty and the role women can face in old age is still relevant. Today they might be in different financial straits conditions – we do have a welfare state; they would have a state pension and possibly one from a past job. But they would still be poor, lonely and open to being ill-treated by other people. Directed by Brigid Larmour this is one more successful resurrection for the Finborough of a play worth seeing for what it once was, and it does offer three actresses’ terrific roles. May Beringer (Catherine Cusack), fragile and suffering from a bad heart, has one precious thing – a lump of amber. She has just moved in and is grieving for her dog which has died. Lucy Amorest (Julia Watson) is a widow whose son is somewhere in India, and she has not heard from him in months, partly because he is still writing, if he is writing, to her old address and nothing has been forwarded. She is almost flat broke and desperate for him to come back and rescue her from the awful house and befriends the new inmate – inviting her into her room for tea – in a keeping up appearances way. Agatha Payne (Abigail Thaw) is a once worldly woman who covets sparkling things and once, she sees the amber desires it – she is, a devious and menacing figure who terrifies the fragile May. The play arguably needs the limitations, well though set designer Juliette Demoulin has created their different rooms, of a proscenium stage which might have trapped each woman in her tiny world so that an intruder becomes all that more menacing. But the fact remains that the play still works – there are still lonely people worrying about money without a family to turn to out there. And the cast could hardly be bettered. The Finborough has done what it does best – revive a pretty well forgotten but once successful play - and done it very well indeed. It is still a play for today.

Cast

Catherine Cusack – May Berenger

Julia Watson – Lucy Amorest

Abigail Thaw – Agatha Payne

Creatives

Director – Brigid Larmour

Set Designer – Juliette Demoulin

Lighting Designer – Mark Dymcok

Sound Designer & Composer – Max Pappenheim

Costume Designer – Carla Joy Evans