Duet For One

Nov 1 2017 | By Hugh Simpson More

★★★☆☆ Solid

King’s Theatre: Tue 31 Oct– Sat 4 Nov 2017
Review by Hugh Simpson

Thought-provoking and icily emotional, Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s version of Duet For One at the King’s until Saturday is wonderfully acted but never really takes flight.

Tom Kempinski’s two-hander, first seen in 1980, bears superficial resemblance to the life of cellist Jacqueline du Pré, with its story of a classical musician (in this case a violinist) whose career is cut short by multiple sclerosis. Belinda Lang (who stepped in before the tour for an indisposed Jemma Redgrave) plays musician Stephanie Abrahams, with Oliver Cotton as Dr Feldmann, the psychiatrist who is treating her.

Belinda Lang. Pic: Robert Day

Kempinksi’s protestations in the programme notes that any link between his work and du Pré is ‘fake news’ ring a little hollow given the obvious and multiple similarities. However, the play does cover a great deal of other ground, touching on big questions of art, life and death.

Lang’s performance is beautifully human, encapsulating rage, despair, delusion and self-possession in equal amounts. Feldmann is mainly a foil to Stephanie, and Cotton turns in an understated performance, carefully poised and reserved. When he finally does display emotion it has all the more impact as a result.

Elegantly structured, the play takes its time revealing Stephanie’s backstory but does not stray into the artificial or impose an unnatural ‘arc’ on events – while there is definitely optimism in here, there is no false hope or trite resolution.

However, there are definite drawbacks both with the play and this production. The most obvious is the way that it is assumed that Stephanie’s depression is a symptom of deep underlying problems, when many would imagine it to be a perfectly rational reaction to her circumstances.

Excellent performance

A play featuring two performers who are largely sitting down presents obvious problems. Director Robin Lefevre tries hard to get round this, but never really succeeds. The most usual variation has Lang moving out of her wheelchair, but her dramatic falls do not quite ring true, and her impatient stretches look more like an actor warming up than someone struggling with a progressive condition. This is doubly unfortunate as it undermines, if only slightly, what is otherwise an excellent performance.

Lez Brotherston, long-time collaborator with Matthew Bourne, here provides an enormous, hyper-realistic set. Dr Feldmann’s office shelves are lined with books, vinyl and CDs. While beautiful in itself, the set does tend to heighten the lack of movement within it.

The play is not nearly as depressing as a synopsis makes it sound, but the humour in it fails to ignite fully. For a work that talks a great deal about uncovering hidden depths and the magic of art, it remains disappointingly superficial and earthbound – excellently played and competently staged, but lacking magic of its own.

Running time 2 hours 5 minutes including one interval
King’s Theatre, 2 Leven Street EH3 9LQ.
Tuesday 31 October – Saturday 4 November 2017
Evenings 7.30 pm, Matinee Wed and Sat at 2.30 pm
Tickets: http://www.edtheatres.com/duetforone

Duet for One on tour:
Tue 31 Oct – Sat 4 Nov	Edinburgh Kings Theatre	0131 529 6000	Book online
Mon 6 – Sat 11 Nov	Malvern Festival Theatre	01684 892277	Book online
Mon 13 – Sat 18 Nov	Chichester Festival Theatre	01243 781321	Book online