The Old Ladies Review: Spite, Greed, and Nerves in a Rickety Boarding House
Lonely lives, falling between the gaps, form the heart of this 1935 psychological thriller by Rodney Ackland, adapted from Hugh Walpole's novel. At the Finborough Theatre in London, Brigid Larmour's finely etched production brings to life an atmospheric period piece that resonates with contemporary concerns about solitude in an ageing population.
Characters and Setting
The three ladies in an English cathedral town exist without partners, families, or substantial income. They eke out their genteel poverty in a rickety boarding house, a world where they were not raised to work. Miss Beringer, in desperate need of a job, can only imagine roles as a paid companion or, possibly, in flower arranging.
In this production, irritable passions ferment beneath the frowsty knits and beads. The characters are prey to spite and greed, nerves and night terrors. Voices tremble, and eyes glance fearfully at an uncertain future.
Performances and Dynamics
Catherine Cusack portrays Miss Beringer, whittled by anxiety, as she timidly nibbles on a scallop-edged biscuit. She is welcomed by Julia Watson's Mrs. Amorest, who remains flustered yet determined to keep up appearances, down to her last £10 and writing into the void to a long-absent son.
Abigail Thaw's Agatha is disconcertingly eccentric, forbidding in jet black, as she mocks and snaps at the quivering Miss Beringer with lines like, "Do you know when you're going to die? Do you want to know?" She covets Beringer's one cherished possession: a translucent chunk of amber from a beloved female friend.
Production Design and Themes
The play features cross-hatched conversations and melodramatic plotting, with Larmour's design team heightening the tension. The dank-toned house and clothes in tones of moth and cobweb, combined with a bitter wind blowing, create an immersive atmosphere. Set, costumes, and sound by Juliette Demoulin, Carla Joy Evans, and Max Pappenheim effectively turn the screw on the psychological drama.
Ackland's plays about rackety lives are seeing increased revivals. He, Walpole, and John Gielgud, the play's original director, were all queer artists, and it's tempting to imagine them drawn to these lives on the margins of British society. These ladies do not rage against the dying of the light but rather wait, fearfully, to be snuffed out.
The Old Ladies runs at the Finborough Theatre in London until 19 April, offering a poignant exploration of ageing, isolation, and the human condition.
