Residents’ Journal
Family ties T he Orange Tree is a theatre fond of little-known plays by well-known playwrights. Somerset Maugham’s 1930 play The Breadwinner is set in the suburb of Golders Green. The play sticks pretty rigorously to the classical unities of a single time, place and action. These are attributes which suit the tiny Orange Tree down to the ground, it is petite but perfectly formed. There is nowhere to hide in this round theatre space, but the actors rose to the challenge with aplomb. The play follows two families, the Battles and the Grangers. The breadwinner, Charles Battle, played by Ian Targett, has become weary of his role as ‘the symbol of respectability’ and allows his business to flounder. Targett’s performance is highly amusing, but for me, it is the young actors who really shine. Joseph Radcliffe plays the entitled son, Patrick Battle, beautifully and I very much enjoyed Sarah Schoenbeck as the ingénue Diana Granger. Isla Carter gives a show-stealing performance as deluded housewife Dorothy Granger. In the final act, Charles has a series of one-to-one conversations with his friends and family as they try to comprehend his erratic behaviour. Carter attempts a seduction with such conviction that it receives a hearty applause from the audience. The actress also gets the prize for my favourite moment of the play, in which do-gooder housewife Margery Battle, played by Cate Debenham-Taylor, confides in Dorothy that she has a dreadful secret. Cue Carter leaning in with a hungry ‘tell me more’ smile, which is delicious to watch.
Production photographs by Robert Day
The Breadwinner at The Orange Tree Theatre takes the biscuit says Alice Todman
Another highlight is a scene between Charles and his daughter Judy, played by Nathalie Buscombe, who touchingly explains that ‘it’s only because I don’t think of you as my father anymore that I can talk to you as a human being.’ For me, it is in these moments that the play is at its strongest; when it explores the relationships between parents and children, the middle-aged suburban survivors of WWI and their vain young progeny. There are some wonderful one-liners on the stultifying nature of marriage, which elicit some rather uneasy laughs from an audience that includes a number of mature couples. It is hard not to feel both the hurt and the humour in lines such as: ‘after 19 years of marriage, I’m used to loneliness.’ The Breadwinner is an evening of light entertainment interspersed with some incredibly poignant moments. Reflecting upon the lines which made me laugh the loudest, I realise that these were also filled with the most anguish. This is not the most profound play you will ever see, but it is a polished performance with many profound moments. Auriol Smith’s production is immensely enjoyable and has found an ideal venue in the quirky, charming Orange Tree. n
Until 18 May. For more information call the box office, on: 020 8940 3633. 1 Clarence Street, TW9 2SA (orangetreetheatre.co.uk)
Sarah Schoenbeck as Diana Granger and Joseph Radcliffe as Patrick Battle
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Isla Carter as Dorothy Granger