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Lovers a
laugh, and a reminder
LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS
Old Red Lion
ONE man attempts three separate illicit affairs in Neil Simon’s
new play. Each encounter is both lifelike and funny.
Barney is the ordinary proprietor of a fish restaurant in London.
He meets three women who are difficult to get along with in
very different ways.
I felt sorry for all four characters but I also laughed all
the way through this expertly written dialogue.
Simon is a Pulitzer Prize winner and the author of more than
two dozen plays and screenplays, and it shows.
The jokes are witty and the plot works perfectly.
The Betsey Group – four actors interested in plays set
in cities – have chosen the play as their first full-length
piece. Their performances do the play justice.
Anton Saunders is fantastic as the nervous but friendly Barney
Cashman.
His movements clearly express what it feels like to be consciously
making an effort to impress a member of the opposite sex.
When he carefully places cigarettes for his expected date on
a tray it reminds you of people you have met on dates and, unfortunately,
yourself.
It is possible to laugh but also to really know how he feels.
The female characters are more eccentric. All the actresses
do pretty well especially Andrea Sadler as the depressed Jeanette.
The set – an extremely tidy front room – is just like
many front rooms you have been in before. All the right knick-knacks
are present including the posh china in the cupboard and the
smiling family photos.
Even the sound effects recreate the feel of an average living
room.
The toilet can be heard flushing in the next-door room and the
light switch clicks audibly in the silence.
The realistic set works well because it makes it easier to imagine
how the characters are feeling.
This play is a straight forward, funny and truthful look at
some people who are looking for love in someone else’s
neat front room.
You won’t regret an evening spent watching it.
Until April 1
020 7837 7816
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