Reviews

It's at his mother's funeral, a rare social occasion, that Henry is reacquainted with his septuagenarian Aunt Augusta, who he has not seen since childhood. Despite the reunion providing him with some much needed company, Henry is distracted by the thought of his lawnmower gathering rust at home.

Brash, confident and extremely well travelled, Aunt Augusta is everything Henry isn't. She's also set on getting to know her nephew, and it's not long until Henry is given a glimpse of a world centred around theft, smuggling and, of course, travel.

Aunt Augusta and Henry after the funeral

Aunt Augusta takes Henry, who was yet to leave the country, across Europe before jetting around the world. The longer they spend together, the more Henry is drawn to his aunt, and he's eventually left with the dilemma of committing himself fully to the risqué life she leads, or returning to middle class England.

The props are few in number and basic in design. Yet I enjoyed the way the cast are choreographed to move items such as door frames into the spotlight just in time for their colleagues to use.

The plot and language provided by Graham Greene's 1969 novel gives the play charm and humour which audiences would be hard pressed not to warm to. But should visitors to the Wolsey have any qualms, it's likely to be based on the decision to have four actors simultaneously playing the role of Henry.

Tom Anderson, Christopher Ettridge, Alan Perrin and Everal A Walsh are dressed in identical grey suits and brown shoes and appear on stage together throughout the production. My guess is that each actor is used to highlight a certain characteristic of Henry's changing persona but, if this is the case, the differences are subtle enough for them to pass me by undetected.

The four actors are also called upon to portray the play's other characters - with Ettridge taking an amusing turn as Aunt Augusta, Perrin as a pot-smoking American teenager and Walsh as the ever present and love struck Wordsworth.

Henry and Aunt Augusta visit a tasseographer

This constant rotation of characters keeps the audience thinking, but it also takes the focus away from the narrative and limits the progression of the relationship between Henry and Aunt Augusta.

Travels With My Aunt is at the Wolsey until Saturday 5 May. On the night I saw the play (Monday 23 April), I was disappointed to see the theatre filled to little more than a quarter of its capacity.

I hope a bigger audience awaits its remaining performances, but more importantly I hope the Wolsey continues to host these kind of productions which ask their audience to invest some thought into what is unfolding before them.

I left the theatre having enjoyed the show but with a number of questions for the journey home. I still don't know the reasons behind casting four actors to play the lead role, or why no women were cast, or the decision behind the minimalist set design.

But it's enjoyable to discuss such issues with other people and, without plays straying from the norm every now and then, theatre going could become as dull as Henry's life before Aunt Augusta came along.