Poignant pieces draw us into action

Mental health was the focus of two of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads plays, performed by the Robin Hood Theatre Company.

I managed to see Sally Williams star as Muriel Carpenter in Soldiering On and Geoff Morgan become Graham Whittaker in A Chip In The Sugar at East Bridgford Village Hall on March 6.

Directed well by Karen Peck, both pieces were very poignant and drew us into the action from beginning to end.

In Soldiering On, the role of Muriel was brilliantly played by Sally. Her character was a recently widowed wife of stockbroker, Ralph. Despite her recent loss she decided to take control of her life — past, present and future — as she had been left well off.

However, because of her frivolous and careless son Giles, and paying for the upkeep of her mentally disturbed daughter, Margaret, she gradually discovered that all her assets, and even her memories, had been stripped away.

It was tragic how she was left alone and poor to soldier on at the end.

A Chip In The Sugar had more comical moments in it but still left us feeling sad.

Geoff was excellent as the mentally ill Graham who lived with his 72-year-old mum and went everywhere with her until she bumped into an old flame called Frank Turnbull.

He swept her off her feet, taking her to the latest supermarket and precincts in Yorkshire.

Geoff used many voices and accents to portray paranoid Graham, Frank, his mother, and other characters so we saw all that was going on through his eyes.

However, Mr Turnbull, was not all that he seemed and Graham’s life seemed to turn full circle.

I look forward to seeing more Talking Heads later in the year — DAB.