Tales of the absurd

Next Time I’ll Sing to You is currently being staged at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond until December 10. Written by James Saunders in 1962 it has recently been revived by the theatre he had such a close involvement during his career. It is remembered mostly today as the play which saw Michael Caine’s West End debut as Meff when it was first staged at the Arts Theatre. As a story it, it is based around five characters planning a play about the real life story of a hermit who spent the last 36 years of his life in isolation before dying in 1942. As well as loosely telling the story of Alexander James Mason, the Great Cranfield Hermit, it involves the 5 characters bouncing around various topics covering questions of death, identity and their own existence; mostly with irony and humour. In particular, whether, as the hermit had not been seen for such a long period of time, it can be said he really existed at all.

Its plot is deeply absurdist, the flow of which is not the easiest to follow to begin with, but it utilises the divergences from the background storyline to articulate the major existentialist themes very well. Despite its age, the skilfully crafted dialogue and blend of surreal humour with philosophical crisis stands up well to time. Only on occasions does it come across as dated, oddly in the parts where there is an obvious attempt to update the dialogue for the modern audience, such as the reference to Strictly Come Dancing which didn’t really fit. The delivery of the play was very good, with all the actors playing their parts impeccably resulting in a production that captivated the audience as it progressed. In particular, I liked the performances Jamie Newall put in as the actor playing the Hermit and Holly Elmes as the ditzy Lizzie. As a venue, the Orange Tree Theatre is small and cosy with the audience on all four sides of the stage, a set-up which works well and creates an absorbing experience.

All in all, it is in parts a challenging, weird play but one which is ultimately invigorating, enjoyable and good fun.

Next Time I’ll Sing To You runs at the Orange Tree Theatre until December 10