Review
The audience was drawn into this play by the extended, time-warp setting...
I felt I was sitting in the middle of a thriller as the plot developed. But
what a set! From the ornaments and kitchen utensils, the vintage TV set to
the mouse-trap under the cabinet (it's surprising what you can see from a
front seat!). Then there was the enamel draining-board, rescued by Julie
Kingcott from a refuse lorry.
However, Hugh Whitemore's well-constructed play, based on a high-profile spy
crime, is a very dark story. Most of the light in it occurs when a
character reveals deep feelings in a lone spotlight. Peter Kroger (subtly
played by John Graham) talks of the betrayal of American citizens by the
slump in the 1930s which drew him into Communism. The Krogers were so clever
to have chosen an unremarkable family, the Jacksons, to befriend as suburban
neighbours. The tension builds gradually when a mysterious official comes
to their home to set up a surveillance operation targeting these "best
friends".
Les Morley as the enigmatic Stewart has an uncomfortable job to do - always
watch Les's hands, they tell you so much. Kate Morley's portrayal of
Barbara Jackson, whose emotions run the gamut from reluctant co-operation
through passionate anger and despair at being asked to betray a friend -
"People don't stop being people just because they¹ve done something wrong" -
was so good it was painful to watch.
Wendy Tandy as Helen Kroger conveyed the guilt and coldness of a villainess
- Mata Hari, Lady Macbeth... with a hint of something predatory - to
perfection. There was a scary moment when she saw two used teacups when
Barbara had ostensibly been alone in the house.
There had to be lighter moments and these were provided by the
matter-of-fact attitudes of the two "watchers" Thelma (Liz Thomas) and
Sally (Gaby Sheridan). Julie Kingcott told me how proud she was of her two
protegées from the Junior Theatre, Heather Bullen and Ellie Griffiths, who
played teenaged Julie Jackson on alternate nights: pride well justified.
As for Peter Jones in the role of patient, puzzled Bob Jackson, helpless in
the face of his wife¹s anguish and the betrayal of his daughter¹s trust, his
final summing up in the spotlight was heartbreaking. Today they would have
had counselling. I suspect some of the audience would have welcomed it too.
Rosemary Hodges
