UK Theatre Network

Rattle of a Simple Man

Reviewed at Darlington Civic Theatre

Ian Dickens Productions kicks off their 10^th Anniversary Summer Repertory Season with a charming production of Rattle of a Simple Man, starring Hannah Waterman and Huw Higginson.

Cyrenne is a worldly-wise London prostitute who picks up Percy, a gullible football fan from Manchester. His mates, knowing his lack of experience with women, bet him fifty pounds to spend the night with her and ‘go all the way.’ He accepts.

In 1962, when Rattle of a Simple Man was first produced and social taboos were much stronger, the piece must have seemed rather daring. In today’s world, where we are accustomed to seeing all manner of intimacy on stage and screen, does it still manage to strike a chord with the audience?

Well, the answer is a resounding ‘Yes.’

This is largely due to the performances of Hannah Waterman and Huw Higginson. Miss Waterman creates a multi-faceted character that is tough but tender, strong yet fragile. The cynicism and sarcasm of the self-assured, professional ‘hostess’ is merely the mask that hides the damaged little girl behind. Her performance has real pathos and is nothing less than magnificent. Huw Higginson is in no way overshadowed by Waterman and he, too, creates a character that is rounded and easy to engage with. He gives the bumbling Scoutmaster a  genuine warmth and his lack of guile is totally believable.

The chemistry between them is tangible as they play a game of sexual cat and mouse and the characters are so beautifully acted that the audience are soon willing them to get it together – not so that Percy wins his bet, but because it is obvious that he and Cyrenne are made for each other.

The conversation between the couple, as they awkwardly attempt to establish whether the bed will be used, reveals much about each character. As a result, it seems that Cyrenne and Percy have much more in common than they first thought.

The loneliness that each character experiences is most eloquently summed-up by Cyrenne when she is exposed as a fantasist and she admits: ‘They’re old friends, the people I invent, I laugh and I cry with them.’

This production of Rattle of a Simple Man is poignant and compelling, with production values that are second to none and performances that are first class. In short, it encompasses everything that good theatre should be.

Steve Burbridge.

‘Rattle of a Simple Man’ runs at Darlington Civic Theatre until Saturday 13^th June 2009.