Albion

Structurally, Mike Bartlett's 'Albion' is a very conventional play: an ensemble of characters meet up at intervals, sometimes histrionically, at the same location (in this case a garden); in between these encounters, dreams blossom then die. The garden is a place of some importance to the central character, Audrey, who wants to make it just so; but her resistence to change is futile, her indifference to the will of others mutually destructive. The play's title suggests a Brexit metaphor; but the politics don't neatly align with Audrey's social class; and while her rationale is that of a Brexiteer, her general attitude is more that of a baffled remainer who can't understand why everyone else just can't accept that she knows best. It's strange that the two sides of the argument are embodied in the same character; it's in Audrey's nature (and the line even exists in the play) that she likes everyone else to be her own support act; but the narrative might have been stronger had someone been about to balance her in the script.

Iris Murdoch is mentioned in this play and in many ways it is the equivalent of her so many fabricated novels; it drags on at great length with character after character wriggling their ways through improbable situations. So what if the Albion represented here is a ' Special Garden ' ? Who should really care if it is appropriated by a self-glory seeking woman who appears to conquer all before her ? Is this our UK of today ? If it is I feel more sorrow for it than I do already ? Plus the overlong comedy/tragedy of it all has an old fashioned theatricality about it worthy of the Haymarket Theatre in the 1950's. Take away the ' daring ' Lesbianism ending in failure ( of course ) and references to 'sensitive ' political issues and it would have played to packed houses with Diana Wynyard in the lead role. It is not a particularly interesting haul of nearly 3 hours but I give it a 4 for Victoria Hamilton who gives a fine performance. I also felt the rest of the cast were adequate but the characters were too numerous and the full on ' dramatic ' scenes with their tinges of Shakespeare and Chekhov too obvious. But many thanks to the BBC for showing it, and many viewers no doubt were beguiled by its ' relevance '. Any theatre seen is precious during these times, good or bad, and there is a certain sadness in seeing packed houses and recalling a time which after only a matter of months seems a lost world.