Will Brann Archives - thespyinthestalls.com

★★★½

“a poignant exploration of memory’s erosion and the human connections left in its wake”

At first glance you might think that the Theatre Royal Windsor’s world premiere of Doubting Thomas, a new play written by husband and wife team (and Writers in Residence) Catherine O’Reilly and Tim Churchill, is a ‘Whodunnit’ set in a care home. This is not the case. The play deals with the far more devastating scenario of a family who have had to make the painful decision to move their beloved husband and father Thomas, following a diagnosis of dementia, into a nursing home. When Thomas is found crouching over the dead body of one of his carers, being the only suspect a case against him swiftly goes to court.

I found this a fascinating angle for a play, a dementia patient with no memory and no ‘voice’ therefore unable to defend himself – a classic unreasonable doubt scenario played against the backdrop of the emotional fallout on his family and exactly what they will do to defend him.

Dementia has become an increasingly prominent and powerful subject not only in society but in contemporary theatre and film. This production manages to use it, under the solid direction of Charlotte Peters, to explore the sensitive themes of memory, identity, family dynamics, ageing and loss. Felicity Dean whose strong yet subtle portrayal of the central character Jane Noble holds the play together, whilst the various members of her family, her histrionic elder daughter Sara played by Claire Marlow, her grandson Ben a very assured and believable portrayal by Louis Holland and her younger daughter Anna, excellently played by Eva O’Hara, all have various skeletons in the closet.

The staging is quite intimate and together with the stereotypically middle class set, helps evoke a sense of claustrophobia as the family tensions play out. The writing almost feels like a screenplay at times, cleverly switching from one scene outside to another inside, with effective use of lighting by Will Brann. As the characters and plot develop even more tangents in the second act, it seems that the writing is mirroring the mind’s disintegration and cognitive decline by having so many different threads.

Doubting Thomas in its honesty, confronts the painful realities of dementia, sudden loss and what it means to care. It offers a poignant exploration of memory’s erosion and the human connections left in its wake. It is wonderful to see a new, modern play that actually recognises the humanity in those society often overlooks.

The Lady in the Van

Theatre Royal Windsor

Reviewed – 27th October 2020

★★★½

“From the very first scene it’s plain just how wonderful Bennett’s writing is”

For its latest Covid-secure performance since reopening, Theatre Royal Windsor is this week staging Alan Bennett’s ‘The Lady in the Van’ which is presented by a cast of eight, reading from scripts behind microphones on stands. This forms part of their four latest ‘Windsor on Air’ shows.

The opening night crowd was good, with rigorous precautions ensuring their saftey.

‘She came for three weeks – she stayed for 15 years’. This film tagline describes Alan Bennett’s real life relationship with an elderly ex-convent novitiate and bag lady who took up residence in a mimosa-painted van on his front garden. Miss Shepherd was a less than fragrant woman of mystery, who increasingly came to dominate his existence up to her death in 1989.

The playwright (who is himself an actor) appears twice as a character in this piece, which was first published in prose the year of Miss Shepherd’s death. That Bennett is a ‘national treasure’ is entirely a truism, but the line deservedly reflects his droll way with words and his huge success with ‘The Lady’ and others including ‘The History Boys’, ‘Talking Heads’, ‘The Madness of King George III’ and ‘Habeas Corpus’.

It must be daunting for any performer who is asked to walk in the footsteps of either Bennett or another treasure, Dame Maggie Smith, who portrayed Miss Shepherd so memorably in the 2015 film. David Horovitch is the younger Alan – a name that “has as much flavour as a pebble”. He has some nice interplay with his older self who is writing the piece for us. RADA trained Matthew Cottle gives an uncannily good impersonation and both have accent and delivery just right. Jenny Seagrove did not reference Dame Maggie, but gave her own tremulous voiced and feisty interpretation of the part.

From the very first scene it’s plain just how wonderful Bennett’s writing is. But in this radio studio style performance, with the cast glued to microphone stands and their scripts, it all starts to get just a little bit samey by the end of the first half. The sparkling dry quips seem to pepper almost every speech, and I felt that on this particular opening night, the ensemble weren’t quite gelling as they should.

Things get better after the interval when some of the mystery about Miss Shepherd is revealed. Martin Carroll does sterling service as the Foley man (sound effects artist). Other cast members – Sara Crowe, Ashley D Gayle, Elizabeth Counsell (a memorable Mam) and Alan Howell all have their moments in the story. Roy Marsden directs this pleasant entertainment.

DOUBTING THOMAS

Theatre Royal Windsor

★★★½

“a poignant exploration of memory’s erosion and the human connections left in its wake”

DOUBTING THOMAS

Theatre Royal Windsor

Reviewed on 4th June 2025

by Sarah Milton

Photography by Jack Merriman

Last tens shows reviewed at this venue:

THE GREAT GATSBY | ★★★ | February 2024

DOUBTING THOMAS

DOUBTING THOMAS

DOUBTING THOMAS

Theatre Royal Windsor

Reviewed – 27th October 2020

★★★½

“From the very first scene it’s plain just how wonderful Bennett’s writing is”

For its latest Covid-secure performance since reopening, Theatre Royal Windsor is this week staging Alan Bennett’s ‘The Lady in the Van’ which is presented by a cast of eight, reading from scripts behind microphones on stands. This forms part of their four latest ‘Windsor on Air’ shows.

The opening night crowd was good, with rigorous precautions ensuring their saftey.

Reviewed by David Woodward

Photography by Simon Vail

The Lady in the Van

Theatre Royal Windsor until 31st October

Previously reviewed at this venue:

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