The audience seemed utterly won over
Maureen Lipman charms from the moment the curtain rises in Peter Quilter’s new comedy Allegra, directed by Stephen Mear, writes Leo Dunlop.
The play centres on Allegra, an ageing woman who lives alone, unmarried and without children. Concerned by recent news from her doctors, her devoted younger brother Ronen decides she may need a carer (played by Elizabeth Bower). But Allegra is not the sort of person who readily accepts other people’s plans for her life. Fiercely independent, gloriously eccentric and prone to breaking into song, she refuses to conform to anyone else’s expectations.
Lipman brings this wonderfully idiosyncratic figure vividly to life. There’s something instantly recognisable about Allegra; most of us have known a grandmother, aunt or family friend who could be sharp-tongued one moment and delightfully mischievous the next. Beneath the prickliness lies a deep humour and an irrepressible joy for living.
The flat also becomes a stage for Allegra’s imagination. Throughout the play Lipman breaks into song in moments that seem to exist outside the reality experienced by the other characters. Whether these sequences hint at deteriorating health or simply represent the colour and vitality Allegra brings to life is left intriguingly ambiguous. Suddenly, vibrant tulips appear across the mantelpiece, or rainbow umbrellas sweep across the stage as Allegra inhabits a world all her own. Lipman’s obvious delight in the role is infectious; her enthusiasm carries the audience with her and leaves smiles across the auditorium.
There is a particularly touching chemistry between Lipman and John Middleton as Ronen. Their relationship could easily have become a source of predictable conflict, but Quilter’s script takes a gentler route. What emerges instead is a portrait of two people in the later stages of life trying, in their own imperfect ways, to bring happiness to one another. Their affection feels genuine, lived-in and deeply moving.
Quilter’s script dances along with the rhythm of an old-fashioned comedy. The dialogue has a playful, almost soap-operatic quality, with exchanges that bounce energetically between the characters. It is warm, accessible and unashamedly sentimental. At times the play threatens to become overly sweet, yet it consistently lands with sincerity, heart and humour.
The audience at Richmond Theatre seemed utterly won over by its warmth. In a world that often feels exhausting and uncertain, Allegra offers something increasingly rare: an evening of genuine comfort. It wraps its audience in laughter, music and affection, delivering the theatrical equivalent of a warm hug.
Richmond Theatre until 13th June
Harold Pinter Theatre from 8th July – 8th August
Booking and full tour details: http://www.allegraplay.com/
