The Browning Version
By Terence Rattigan
Directed by David Green
First performed on 8 September 1948, this is the 70th year anniversary of the play's first performance. The Broninng Version is seen by some as Terence Rattigan's best work.
Trapped in an unhappy marriage, the thwarted desires of Millie Crocker-Harris are released in the form of spite and betrayal as her ailing, humiliated schoolteacher husband, Andrew - also unloved by his pupils - faces academic and marital oblivion. But could an unexpected gift from one student help restore some semblance of humanity?
Rattigan’s finest play is full of moments of great compassion and heartache. A masterpiece.
Performed Autumn 2019
Cast
Andrew Crocker-Harris - Tim Hall
Millie Crocker-Harris - Emma Martin
Frank Hunter - Ben Willmott
John Taplow - Leon Bedwell
Dr Frobisher - Peter Sowerbutts
Peter Gilbert - Mike Davison
Mrs Gilbert - Frances Lamb
‘Heart-rending, authentic and utterly compelling, this was repertory theatre at its very best, demonstrating a deep understanding of the ambiguity and subtlety of Rattigan’s text. It is a production that director David Green and his company should be proud of.’
— David Vass
Behind the Scenes
Review - David Vass
Never shy of a challenge, Open Space’s latest production is a play generally regarded as Terence Rattigan’s finest. Judging by the opening night at Wingfield Barns, it may well also be the company’s finest performance.
Tim Hall is no stranger to meaty roles, having previously taken on Chekov’s Uncle Vanya and JB Priestley’s Inspector, but on this occasion he truly surpassed himself, with an outstanding and nuanced portrait of a man confronting his personal and professional failures. Humane and compassionate, his performance was perfectly complemented by Emma Martin cleverly underplaying his wife Millie, so that her monstrous nature crept on up an audience whose loyalties had been adroitly misdirected.
Ben Willmott offered up a very solid Frank Hunter, no one else but Peter Sowerbutts was ever going to play the utterly vile headmaster, while Leon Bedwell, as the guileless John Taplow, proved to be a valuable addition to the company’s already considerable roster
of talent.
Heart-rending, authentic and utterly compelling, this was repertory theatre at its very best, demonstrating a deep understanding of the ambiguity and subtlety of Rattigan’s text. It is a production that director David Green and his company should be proud of.