Director: Christopher Luscombe
Reviewer: Helen Chapman
Alan Bennett has been hailed as one of the great translators of observation of British family life to the stage. Originally written in 1980, Enjoy, portrays the lives of an ageing couple living in one of the last back-to-back houses in Leeds, facing the demolition of their beloved community and a move into new maisonettes, with nothing less than vinyl flooring in the lifts.
This comedy is centred around Connie and Wilf Craven, commonly known as Mam and Dad. Exceptional performances from Alison Steadman and David Troughton exaggerated their already larger than life characters, focusing on the differences between the two. Dad, not quite recovered from a hit and run, keen to move into the new maisonette that is sure to solve all their problems, and Mam, a motherly amnesiac, slightly more reserved and desperate to cling onto their past.
With the arrival of a sociologist to observe the couple as part of a community study, the couple’s day takes a few extraordinary turns. Their daughter Linda doesn’t quite live up to the pedestal her parents have put her on. And there is the taboo subject of their long lost son. Little by little the audience is given a bit more of the family’s story, always exaggerated but still rooted in reality. Clever exploration of the aging process particularly Dad’s exasperation at Mam’s loss of memory aids the story telling.
I found the play took a change of direction in the second half. Without giving too much away, what began as a comic take on a slightly dysfunctional family trying to prove they live a “normal” existence, turned into a more far fetched, somewhat bizarre story of strained relationships and loss of control, maintaining throughout an air of
hilarity. The plot in my mind wasn’t completely resolved – but being a young Southerner, perhaps a lot of the unsaid went unnoticed! Whilst the storyline to me took some strange turns, particularly the undressing and washing of a supposed corpse by the next door neighbour, the dialogue was spot on with Bennett as sharp as ever. Clever use of timing and language and (mostly) appropriate use of innuendo, (there were some moments I was glad not to be there with my grandparents!) kept the show flowing despite only using one set throughout.
The play was set in the living room of the Craven’s home, carefully decorated with all the home comforts you would find in a working class 1980s home. This true-to-life setting was a fitting home for simple, kind Mam, who took pride in both her home and her family.
Whilst written as a comedy, Bennett does explore the way in which we often change our ways to impress when under observation. Although in this case perhaps it was only under observation that the family’s true colours came out. This play was cleverly written, hugely enjoyed and will be pondered upon for days to come!
With the arrival of a sociologist to observe the couple as part of a community study, the couple’s day takes a few extraordinary turns. Their daughter Linda doesn’t quite live up to the pedestal her parents have put her on. And there is the taboo subject of their long lost son. Little by little the audience is given a bit more of the family’s story, always exaggerated but still rooted in reality. Clever exploration of the aging process particularly Dad’s exasperation at Mam’s loss of memory aids the story telling.
I found the play took a change of direction in the second half. Without giving too much away, what began as a comic take on a slightly dysfunctional family trying to prove they live a “normal” existence, turned into a more far fetched, somewhat bizarre story of strained relationships and loss of control, maintaining throughout an air of
hilarity. The plot in my mind wasn’t completely resolved – but being a young Southerner, perhaps a lot of the unsaid went unnoticed! Whilst the storyline to me took some strange turns, particularly the undressing and washing of a supposed corpse by the next door neighbour, the dialogue was spot on with Bennett as sharp as ever. Clever use of timing and language and (mostly) appropriate use of innuendo, (there were some moments I was glad not to be there with my grandparents!) kept the show flowing despite only using one set throughout.The play was set in the living room of the Craven’s home, carefully decorated with all the home comforts you would find in a working class 1980s home. This true-to-life setting was a fitting home for simple, kind Mam, who took pride in both her home and her family.
Whilst written as a comedy, Bennett does explore the way in which we often change our ways to impress when under observation. Although in this case perhaps it was only under observation that the family’s true colours came out. This play was cleverly written, hugely enjoyed and will be pondered upon for days to come!
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