Review: AN HOUR AND A HALF LATE, Theatre Royal Brighton - UK tour
Photo credit: Marc Brenner
Life seems peachy for Peter and Laura. A soon to be retired couple living rather comfortably in suburban West London. Their third and final child is off to university, Peter is selling the shares of his successful business which, in his own words, will leave him “loaded”. But with this new found freedom of theirs comes the empty nest syndrome and, for Laura, an impending dread of a wasted life… An Hour And A Half Late sees the couple trying to navigate this new phase of their life and marriage all whilst being increasingly late to Peter’s celebratory meal with his business partner. Will they ever make it to dinner?
Having kicked off the tour in Theatre Royal Bath, we caught the production in Brighton before it continues on to Guildford and finished in Cambridge. Stepping into the theatre, we are greeted with a beautiful and grand living room set, Fotini Dimou does an amazing job to instantly create a warm and attractive environment inviting us a fly on the wall seat to Peter and Laura’s comfortable lives. It is clear the couple are from higher class calibre and with plenty of mentions of nannies and hired help, plus a throwaway mention that the maid will clean up the house, we almost struggle to relate to the very real issues the couple must navigate.
Despite this, the play is a very tender portrayal of reality. No matter what age we all go through moments of crisis and insecurity, always wondering if the choices we make are the right ones and with that little voice in our heads always wondering what if. Janie Dee as Laura does a nice job of portraying an ageing mother in crisis and despite perhaps an uncomfortable start, finds comfort in the role and paints Laura as a somewhat relatable and multi-layered character. The chemistry between Dee and Griff Rhys Jones as Peter is very sweet though in the more intimate moments, it lacks to the point it is clear they are just actors on a stage yet does not take too much away from the overall ideals of the show. Jones too does a fine job in his role as Peter despite some moments of trying a little too hard for audience reactions, brings lovely comedic timing and a kind portrayal of the supportive partner.
Overall, it was a perfectly lovely and actually very sweet evening leaving us with a warm portrayal of the realities of thirty plus years of marriage as well as the clear message that life is messy and unpredictable and despite always having those wobbly moments of doubts, the choices we make are the right ones.
A tenderly sweet portrayal of the rollercoaster of life, love and dinner parties.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Natalie Pedro
Catch the end of this sweet tour at Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Guildford from 28 March - 2 April here and then Cambridge Arts Theatre from 4 - 9 April here.