THE GINGERBREAD LADY. To 31 July.

Tour

THE GINGERBREAD LADY
by Neil Simon

Theatre Royal Bath Productions Tour to 31 July 2004
Runs 2hr 15min One interval
Review: Timothy Ramsden 5 July at Richmond Theatre

A warm glow of an end achieved from potentially dark territory.Neil Simon is always present in his characters' conscious wit. Though by this 1970 piece, the comedy's reaching some traditionally unfunny territory. The main character's a depressive drinker while her best friend's in denial over the ageing process. Even the Vietnam draft's hauled in for a one-liner. Yet thanks to the playwright's skilful dialogue and structuring there isn't too much guilt among this Gingerbread to cut the comedy out.

There was a gingerbread lady, looking out of her gingerbread cottage window, in singer Evy Meara's youth. It makes a happy childhood memory for daughter Polly, now a teenager. Yet when Evy, just back from an expensive drying-out treatment, looks out from her cheap if inconveniently-spacious apartment it's in lonely longing for a lost lover. Despite Vincent Patrick's somewhat anonymous characterisation on arrival, it soon becomes clear he's no good.

Good intentions and ginger ale don't last the three acts; the humour highlight's a superb drinking scene where everyone's miseries come together. Miranda Foster's moved from opening confidence to mirror-focused worry as lotions and potions fail to keep her man, Evy's gay actor-friend Jimmy (Jonathan Guy Lewis with just enough camp for the gay scene in early seventies straight theatre) has humiliatingly lost his job. Only Sinead Keenan's Polly still sees a future to be hopeful about.

Lesley Joseph smiles in cheerful composure three times from the programme, a counter-charm against her 48 year-old Evy (age matters to these people) who first enters with defiant march, bringing 42 pounds less back from the health farm than she weighed in with. In this individualistic, surface-aware New York where appearances mega-matter, Foster's subverted glamour runs with Jimmy's elegant shirts either side of Evy's descent into raddled, black-eyed defeat.

Yet behind it, always, lies Simon's ultimate warmth. It's not overtly sentimental, though the feelgood end, wrapped up by a snappy one-liner, is reflected by the flood of bright sunshine replacing the near-terminal dark - physical and emotional of a moment before.

Director Mark Clements makes many right decisions; a wrong one was to cut the first interval, leaving a broken-backed structure and overlong first half'.

Evy Meara: Lesley Joseph
Jimmy Perry: Jonathan Guy Lewis
Toby Landau: Miranda Foster
Polly Meara: Sinead Keenan
Manuel: Bernat Molina
Lou Tanner: Vincent Patrick

Director: Mark Clements
Designer: Philip Witcomb
Lighting: Chris Ellis
Sound: Mike Beer

2004-07-07 00:21:09