Double insight on life

Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads is the latest venture by the Robin Hood Theatre Company, touring to village halls throughout Newark and Sherwood during the year.

The first two were staged at Egmanton and Caunton and were a delight to watch.

Bennett is a master of observation about human nature and his series of monologues are comical, poignant and very uplifting.

Janet Heath began proceedings as Doris in A Cream Cracker Under The Settee, portraying a 75-year-old widow in a very unflattering brown and floral dress.

She constantly found herself moaning about the dusting her home-help did around the house and was determined to do it properly.

In the end she fell, hurt her leg which began going numb and then tried to drag herself along the floor to summon help.

While waiting she looked back on her life, talking emotionally about the death of her baby. It was a very dramatic performance from Janet which brought a tear to my eye.

In contrast Yvonne Cockayne played Irene Ruddock in Lady Of Letters, a very funny portrayal of a busybody who had nothing better to do than write nasty letters to people, hoping they would actually do some good in the world.

She wrote to the police, the Queen, her MP and even her local chemist. In the end her letter writing saw her being sent to prison and finding a new found freedom. wonderful performance from Yvonne.