IN OTHER WORDS

Arcola Theatre

★★★★

“Seager and White give astonishingly convincing performances, both fearless in displaying emotions most of us would like to keep buried”

A little bit of trivia: “Fly Me to the Moon”, the popular standard made famous by Frank Sinatra in the 1960s, was originally titled “In Other Words”. In turn, the refrain has been fittingly adopted as the title for Matthew Seager’s play, which is as far away from ‘trivia’ as can be imagined. While the song may be bland melodic wallpaper in many people’s lives, this production tears it apart to reveal the bare bricks of the shattered lives of a married couple. The song brought Arthur and Jane together, and in their later years, it becomes the sole, delicate anchor that makes life bearable as they cope with the effects of Arthur’s Alzheimer’s.

Arthur (Seager) meets Jane (Lydia White) at a bar. He spills red wine down her white blouse. Not a great start but by the end of the evening they have enjoyed their first kiss. We are told this in flashback, then shown it in real time, and back again. The milestones of their relationship are dished up like a kind of memory game. Seager’s supple writing, enhanced by Andy Routledge’s sharp staging, play with the chronology – making time as unreliable and fragmented as the protagonist’s mind. Our emotions are similarly tugged in opposing directions. One moment we are disturbed and unsettled, the next we are thrown a line that wrenches a guilty laugh from our hearts. But most of the time our heart is breaking. Or melting. Seager and White give astonishingly convincing performances, both fearless in displaying emotions most of us would like to keep buried.

From that first kiss we are guided towards the teasing, middle years of a conventional love story. ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ has become a leitmotif used to defuse arguments. The couple talk to the audience as much as to each other, making us accomplices as well as witnesses to their story. The first indications of Arthur’s dementia are a fleeting shadow in the corner of the eye. He goes out to buy milk but forgets what he’s gone for by the time he reaches the shop. We’ve all done it, as Jane points out, and they both initially brush it aside. White’s portrayal of the guilt at not seeing the signs early enough is authentically heartbreaking. They both cover it up until it is too late. Seager’s later mood swings are brutally believable, and we are no longer merely onlookers as Iida Hägglund’s echoing sound design and Will Alder’s flashing lights draw us right into Arthur’s mind.

The inevitable cannot be avoided, and the poignancy with which the actors take us there is unsettlingly real; fear, denial, paranoia, anger and ultimately acceptance all having their moment to shine. Listening to, and enjoying music, is a universal experience that even the most damaged minds are not excluded from. Arthur and Jane discover the healing and comforting effects of their shared song. It is a sedative, yet it also awakens past memories which adds further comfort to the unhealing wounds. While the play shows us the effects, it rarely digs much deeper. Emotion is all, and insight takes a back seat. We are denied any real explanation – but ultimately, being spared the science becomes one of the show’s strengths. We do have, however, a vague questioning of the purpose of the piece. Despite the force of its ability to inform, entertain and uplift, we are still left with a sense of hopelessness.

Originally staged at the Hope Theatre in 2017, the play has since been translated into French by Thierry Lopez and Marie-Julie Baup (“Oublie Moi”) and has since been a fixture in Parisian theatres, winning four Molière awards. Being brought back to its London roots in the simple yet effective setting of the Arcola reminds us of the power of fringe theatre. We are gripped throughout by the pair’s outstanding portrayal. While all else sinks and disappears into the illness, we are left with the crackle of Frank Sinatra’s voice heard through Arthur’s earphones, and as Jane watches on, helplessly yet adoringly it is a heart-rending moment. Seager has taken on a delicate topic but is unafraid to handle it with an honesty that breaks it apart to reveal the heart of the matter.

‘In other words, please be true’ croons Ol’ Blue Eyes. This play certainly answers his plea. A truly evocative piece of theatre.

IN OTHER WORDS

Arcola Theatre

Reviewed on 19th May 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Tom Dixon

IN OTHER WORDS

Whistle Down The Wind

The Watermill Theatre

Reviewed – 27th July 2022

★★★★

“Using multi-talented actor musicians, it is in reality a delight to watch throughout”

The premise of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Whistle Down the Wind” is interesting, and quite fun; if not a little implausible. A group of children stumble upon an escaped killer in a barn and through their unwavering belief that he is the Second Coming, they decide to keep his whereabouts a secret from the authorities. Despite being inescapably aware of the townsfolk’s collective hysteria about a murderer being on the loose.

The musical’s book (by Lloyd Webber himself, with Patricia Knop and Gale Edwards) has taken the action Stateside from its humble, English birthplace. The original novel, by Mary Hayley Bell, was set in Sussex while the 1961 film had moved up to Lancashire. We now find ourselves in the heart of the Louisiana Bible Belt. It is the 1950s and religious zeal is as high as the crop in the cornfields. Spearheaded by the adolescent Swallow (Lydia White), the young ones seem to question their elders’ unflinching faith yet refuse to bend from their own fledgling faith. Contradiction seems to be an underlying motif to this story.

The central theme pits the childhood innocence against adult cynicism; young, wide-eyed faith in ‘good’ against the older, blind faith in ‘evil’. Swallow symbolises the former, yet in Tom Jackson Greave’s staging she is too mature to give real credibility to her naive and innocent belief in ‘The Man’ who has unwittingly become Jesus Christ incarnate. White sweeps this worry aside, though, with an energetic and enthralling performance that sees her in customary fine voice.

Musically the show is disjointed, which isn’t necessarily a problem in itself, but in this case it’s hard to understand the shifts in styles. However, there is no denying the quality of music. Each number would pass the Old Grey Whistle test. Lloyd Webber’s theatricality is in full view, framed with influences of gospel, nineties pop, sixties rock, and with reprises and leitmotifs aplenty. And, of course, the mark of the late, great Jim Steinman is stamped indelibly across much of the libretto. “Tire Tracks and Broken Hearts” and “Nature of the Beast” have hot-footed over straight from a Meatloaf gig.

Incongruous to the infectious score is Jackson Greaves’ choreography, much of which feels out of place with the lyrical narrative. The ghost of Swallow’s mother, dancing like a spectral Kate Bush at every conceivable moment is eventually jarring. The intent is clear but unnecessarily overplayed. Similarly overstated is the bible bashing nature of the community. Conversely, the inherent Southern racism of the era is not fully given voice; its mouthpiece confined predominantly to the red neck sheriff – albeit convincingly and masterfully portrayed by the charismatic Toby Webster.

I must confess at this point that I do feel churlish picking at the faults, which are mainly down to the book. For this production is really quite brilliant. Using multi-talented actor musicians, it is in reality a delight to watch throughout. So, hats off to a wonderful cast. ‘The Man’ mistaken for the second coming is indeed a shining star guiding us through the show. Robert Tripolino’s presence and soaring voice fills the auditorium, while his performance remains alluringly intimate. With a twitchy sensitivity that offsets his opportunistic and manipulative pragmatism Tripolino embodies the unpredictability of a man with nothing left to lose. Complemented (rather than supported – this is very much an ensemble piece) by such a strong cast we are steered away from the fault-lines. Lewis Cornay and Chrissie Bhima as the doomed, ‘born-to-run’ teens, Amos and Candy, are an electric duo, while Lloyd Gorman’s fierce yet foibled father figure is a masterful presence.

The musicianship is astounding, led by onstage musical director, Elliot Mackenzie (the manic snake preacher and minister) the ensemble is a dynamic band, shifting from whispering intimacy to orchestral storms while seamlessly swapping instruments with extraordinary sleight of hand. Andrew Exeter’s rich and evocative lighting add to the magic. “Whistle Down the Wind” may have had its fair share of detractors in the past, and it does have its weaknesses, but this revival on the whole highlights its strengths.

Tag Archives: Lydia White

IN OTHER WORDS

★★★★

Arcola Theatre

IN OTHER WORDS

Arcola Theatre

★★★★

“Seager and White give astonishingly convincing performances, both fearless in displaying emotions most of us would like to keep buried”