Rattigan’s tale of love and longing won’t ‘brown you off’

THE Browning Version of one of Terence Rattigan’s best-known plays, with its subtext worthy of Pinter and pathos befitting a Greek tragedy.

L to R, Chris Jackson (Frank Hunter), Jayesh Turvey (John Taplow), Adam Hurst (Andrew Crocker-Harris)

Since it was first performed in 1948, the play has achieved huge success, including two film versions and at least four TV adaptations. For their next production, Thame Players are staging a new production, opening on Tuesday, September 12, at the Players Theatre in Nelson Street, Thame.

The Browning Version is set on the last day of a classics master’s final term at an English boys’ school. Andrew Crocker-Harris (or ‘The Crock’ as he’s nicknamed) is academically brilliant but rather stuffy and inflexible as a person. He started his job with high hopes and great ambitions 18 years earlier, but he’s not popular and is generally disliked. Now poor health is forcing him to retire. His wife is altogether different as a character, vivacious and popular – and not just with the students. What does the future hold for this couple and will they face it together or apart? The play exposes a sad and poignant, yet ultimately inspiring and restorative, tale of love and longing.

Phil Byrom, director of this production for Thame Players, recalled: “When I first came across The Browning Version, I was captivated by Rattigan’s understanding of people with their complex relationships and motivations. The characters are beautifully wrought studies of humanity, painted in vivid hues that draw us into the drama, making their turmoil almost tangible. I believe Rattigan belongs in the first rank of playwrights who tell us so much about human nature, particularly the nature of love, rendering his plays timeless – irrespective of the era in which they’re set.”

Rattigan’s hit comedies and dramas include Flare Path, The Winslow Boy, The Deep Blue Sea and Separate Tables, plus many film scripts. By the early 1950s, Rattigan was Britain’s most successful playwright, both critically and financially.

“Since his death in 1977, Rattigan’s reputation has continued to rise,” continued Phil, “and today, with his penetrating understanding of the joy and the pain of love and the need to be needed, he is widely regarded as the English Chekhov.”

The Browning Version at the Players Theatre

Performances at The Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame OX9 2DP run from Tuesday 12th until Saturday 16th September inclusive, at 7.45pm each evening. Tickets cost £9, concessions £8, and are available from Spear Travels, Greyhound Walk, Thame, telephone 01844 217228 or online from www.thameplayers.co.uk

Biographical Note on Phil Byrom

Phil first took to the stage at school. He subsequently joined an amateur club, directing productions including Priestley’s An Inspector Calls and Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. This is Phil’s directorial debut for Thame Players, but he has acted in previous Thame Players shows including Yes, Prime Minister, Journey’s End and Macbeth. In directingThe Browning Version, which is driven by the actors in terms of characterisation and relationships, Phil brings his acting experience to bear on his role as director. Above all, Phil loves to tell a good story and hopes everyone will enjoy the show.

Biographical Note on Terence Rattigan

Rattigan experienced his first success with First Episode in 1933, which enjoyed a rapid transfer to the West End. During the next two years Rattigan wrote six plays, but none were produced. In November 1936 a comedy, French without Tears, became an unexpected smash hit, running for over 1000 performances and turning its author and little-known cast – including Rex Harrison and Trevor Howard – into stars. When war came, Rattigan wrote hit comedies and dramas while off-duty in RAF Coastal Command. They include Flare Path The Winslow Boy, The Browning Version, The Deep Blue Sea, Separate Tables, plus many film scripts. By the early 1950s, Rattigan was Britain’s most successful playwright, both critically and financially. With the arrival of a younger generation of actors and writers in the 50s, Rattigan’s fortunes changed. Out of favour with the critics, Rattigan devoted much of the rest of his life to writing highly paid film scripts, but also wrote three of his finest plays, Man and Boy, In Praise of Love, and Cause Célèbre .

Thame Players is a registered charity run entirely by volunteers offering a varied range of productions all year round, from serious theatre to comedy and pantomime, including their own productions, visiting shows, and film screenings by Thame Cinema 4 All. For more information about Thame Players and how to join as a member or a friend, call 07938 857291 or visit www.thameplayers.co.uk

SOURCE: Contributed

For more forthcoming shows at The Players Theatre, visit our EVENTS PAGE