Blue Remembered Hills Richmond Theatre Review
Blue Remembered Hills
Richmond Theatre
Showing until 22 June 2013
Written by: Dennis Potter
Directed by: Psyche Stott
Reviewed by Sarah Banbury
Being familiar with the television series’ of Dennis Potter I had a feeling that this may not be a completely comfortable theatre experience. Thanks to the SW London traffic and the only bus driver on the network to comply with speed limits and amber lights I only just made it to my seat as the lights went down and had no chance to read the programme before curtain up. I knew that the play featured adult actors playing child characters and was set during the Second World War but little else.
The play is in fact only 65 minutes long (with no interval) so ice creams could be purchased at the start and the bar was open post performance to allow us to enjoy a longer evening out. Played in real time, it focuses on the activities of a group of children in the Forest of Dean in 1943.While at first, Willie playing at aeroplanes, Audrey and Angela fighting over dolls and who plays mum and the general running around all seem rather frivolous, the vicious beating Peter gives Willie for a sour cooking apple and the casual discussion over the sad domestic situation of the bullied Donald are disturbing. When an Italian prisoner of war escapes from the local POW camp, the seemingly innocent playacting of Peter and John has tragic consequences for one of the group.
The play is performed in the dialect of the area and does take a little getting used to, even for a West Country girl. It helps however in accepting that these are only seven year olds we are watching interact, back in a time when seven year olds would regularly be outside until ‘going in time’. The stage is kept empty except for a rolling hillside and a wooden frame which has multiple uses. The change from hillside to woods is signified by changing the backlighting from blue sky to dappled light between the trees.
The play was originally written for the BBC’s Play for Today in 1979 and now features on English Literature syllabuses which explained the large numbers of teenagers in the audience, unfortunately the rest of the stalls were quite empty. I would like to think that is more a reflection of the price of the ticket in these seats, at £35.40 for less than an hour, than the quality of the production. Seats start at £11.90 for other areas. Blue Remembered Hills runs until Saturday 22June when there is also a matinee performance.
Richmond Theatre is situated on the Green in Richmond upon Thames and easily served by local buses and the underground and rail services at the station a few minutes’ walk away. Car Parking is the same distance in the opposite direction at the Deer Park and is free after 630pm. Disabled parking is available on the street nearer the theatre.
Rating: 3.5/5
Tickets cost from £11.90 – £35.40 and can be booked online here.
