FILUMENA at the Theatre Royal Windsor

★★★★

“There are complex emotions and issues on show here, that are delivered with warmth and humour – and at times with quite a punch”

The opening of Eduardo De Filippo’s “Filumena” finds the title character on her deathbed with Domenico, her partner of twenty-five years, gallantly agreeing to marry her before she gasps her last breath. However, we never see this – it all happens before curtain-up, in another room of Domenico’s opulent Neapolitan villa. What we do witness, though, is the aftermath when Filumena miraculously springs back to life and the ruse is revealed.

Matthew Kelly, as Domenico, is in his element as he wails to the heavens at the injustices of finding himself duped. Not only is his pride wounded, but his plans of marrying the much younger Diana are annihilated. Felicity Kendal’s Filumena is no fool. A pocket-rocket of passion she gives as good as she gets, and we soon learn that her motives are far more honourable than mere vengeance. The couple have lived together for a quarter of a century, ever since the wealthy Domenico lured Filumena away from her life of prostitution and, although that particular career path is a thing of the past, there are three things that have followed her into her dotage. Namely three sons – now strapping lads in their mid-twenties. Filumena wants the wedding ring on her finger to legitimise them. Domenico is having none of that; so cue the lawyers, tantrums, buried grievances, hidden mistresses, histrionics and De Filippo’s gorgeous, if lengthy, dialogue. The two protagonists have much to get their teeth into, and they do so with abandoned relish.

The Italian fervour is slightly sanded down in Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall’s translation, but it still retains a potent mix of acidity and affection. Kendal transforms her character from that of a calculated schemer to a woman with a deep inner strength, warmth and hard-won resolve. Kelly’s sense of privilege is challenged, not just by his mistress, but by an awakening empathy and brooding responsibility. It is no spoiler to tell you that one of Filumena’s sons turns out to be Domenico’s too. But which one? The second act opens with a delicious scene in which Domenico steers the seemingly casual conversation to try and detect in the young men any genetic similarities to himself.

But it is far from a two-hander. The supporting cast are excellent. Gavin Fowler, Fabrizio Santino and George Banks each have a chance to share the spotlight. It is perhaps a little odd that they are so accepting of their new circumstances, having only recently discovered who their mother is. We presume, too, that they have each been brought up independently, although the sibling dynamic is strong. Sarah Twomey’s Lucia, the maid, is loving the family upheaval. Flirtatious and vivacious, Twomey lights up the stage at every opportunity.

Morgan Large’s lush drawing room set gives us a real sense of grandeur although less of a feel of the period and the Neapolitan, sun-kissed location. Yet it sits well with the timeless nature of the action. There might have been more resonance when Filippo wrote the play in the immediate aftermath of the second world war, but the more contemporary backdrop translates well, sometimes making the wavering Italian accents seem unnecessary.

Sean Mathias’ slick direction vividly animates the static setting. It is a very wordy play, but at least there are as many moments of humour as well as insight and wisdom that Mathias brings to the fore. And the lead performers’ energy refuse to allow any dull moments to slip in. There are complex emotions and issues on show here, that are delivered with warmth and humour – and at times with quite a punch. When Filumena finally learns how to cry, we feel her tears too, yet the journey there has also been filled with plenty of laughter.

FILUMENA at the Theatre Royal Windsor followed by UK Tour

Reviewed on 9th October 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Jack Merriman

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE GATES OF KYIV | ★★★★ | September 2024

ACCOLADE | ★★★½ | June 2024

OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR | ★★★★ | April 2024

CLOSURE | ★★★★ | February 2024

THE GREAT GATSBY | ★★★ | February 2024

ALONE TOGETHER | ★★★★ | August 2023

BLOOD BROTHERS | ★★★★★ | January 2022

THE CHERRY ORCHARD | ★★★★ | October 2021

FILUMENA

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★★★

“Fans of F Scott Fitzgerald and afficionados of ‘The Great Gatsby’ will not be disappointed”

‘On Air’ productions have become a popular staple of Theatre Royal, Windsor over the past few years, with their adaptations of classics read in an authentic studio setting, The style is that of a vintage radio drama, complete with live sound effects, replicating the medium that reached its height in the 1930s and 1940s. The atmosphere is authentically recreated for the latest production of F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic, “The Great Gatsby”, even if we are a bit unsure of which decade of the twentieth century we are entering. The (uncredited) set design is a gorgeous period concoction, more H G Wells than the Jazz Age, onto which the cast assemble as though stumbling out of one of Jay Gatsby’s all-nighters on Long Island.

Foley Artist (Martin Carroll) urges the ensemble to take their positions at the microphones while the Greenwich Time Signal counts down with its pips and the ‘On Air’ sign flickers. There is little, if any, preamble except for a few bars of Sophie Burke’s ragtime soundtrack at the piano. It is a shame as a hint of the dynamics between the cast and crew ‘off air’ would have lifted the show from its resemblance to a rehearsed reading, albeit a faithful and accomplished retelling of the story. Roy Marsden’s staging coasts in a no man’s land where not enough visual concessions are made for a theatre audience.

We all know the story, narrated from the point of view of Nick Carraway – Gatsby’s neighbour during the summer of 1922 – told in the first person. George Banks takes on the mantle to steer us through the narrative. A calm and articulate presence, Banks shifts from the role of narrator to that of his character within the action but makes no alteration in his delivery between the two. With the exception of Carley Stenson’s rich voiced Daisy Buchanan and Charlie Clements’ imposing Tom Buchanan, the rest of the cast double up. Eva O’Hara is a delightfully tipsy, party-loving Lucille but slightly flat as cheating, celebrity golfer Jordan Baker. Holly Smith successfully conveys Myrtle Wilson’s frustrated social status with her musical Bronx twang, cutting to a crisp RP for her minor cameos. Forgive me for any discrepancies as the programme credits don’t necessarily match what is unfolding onstage.

Barnaby Tobias, in the ‘great’ eponymous role appears to be a late replacement, but he has the strongest grasp of characterisation, peeling away the often-misplaced enigma that is Gatsby, to reveal the fast-talking, jittery awkwardness of a man out of his depth. Doubling as garage owner George Wilson he matches Smith’s ability to switch dialect on a dime.

Much of the playing space is given over to the collection of devices at Carroll’s disposal for the live soundscape. Like the overall theatrical concept, it is underused, and like the overall production, tricks have been missed and temptations for innovation have been resisted. We are left with the nagging question of the purpose of the exercise, especially with a story so iconic and recognised. It does, however, work well as a nostalgia piece but even then, it spurns the opportunity for experimentation that the breakthrough in radio drama originally offered nearly a century ago. There is a laziness that runs through, underlined by the dayglo highlighted markings incongruously splashed on the actors’ scripts. Weakening the sense of period it also heightens the feeling that we are guests at a reading.

Fans of F Scott Fitzgerald and afficionados of ‘The Great Gatsby’ will not be disappointed. Marsden’s adaptation is lovingly faithful to the book, but on the page only, which is where it remains in this interpretation, not quite making the journey to the stage in the style Jay Gatsby would have liked to arrive in.

Tag Archives: George Banks

FILUMENA

★★★★

UK Tour

FILUMENA at the Theatre Royal Windsor

★★★★

“There are complex emotions and issues on show here, that are delivered with warmth and humour – and at times with quite a punch”

FILUMENA at the Theatre Royal Windsor followed by UK Tour