Haunted by Edna O'Brien, Theatre Royal Bath (From This Is Wiltshire)

Haunted by Edna O'Brien, Theatre Royal Bath

1:31pm Friday 19th March 2010 in

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A marriage brutally exposed when a downtrodden husband allows his fantasies to get the better of him is played out in Edna O’Brien’s Haunted.

Mr Berry (Niall Buggy) is a Shakespeare-loving, over-dramatic pensioner, whose eye is turned when the young Hazel (Beth Cooke) stumbles into his life.

After their initial meeting Hazel fills the sorrowful Mr Berry’s every waking thought, inadvertently leading him into a charade in which he pretends his wife is dead.

As the sweet and innocent Hazel agrees to give Mr Berry elocution lessons, she is rewarded with items of gaudy clothing taken from Mrs Berry’s (Brenda Blethyn’s) wardrobe.

It isn’t long before the very much alive Mrs Berry is on the emotional warpath after noticing the mysterious disappearance of her prized items, tearing strips off her husband one minute and bemoaning the fact their lust-filled and love-drenched days are a distant memory the next.

While the subject matter of the play is fresh and enticing, I found myself unable to buy into the characters or feel any empathy towards their varying plights.

However Brenda Blethyn could read from a menu and make it sound like a bestseller, so although I couldn’t bond with her Mrs Berry I still found myself unable to take my eyes off her.

Although O’Brien’s play raises poignant questions about relationships, personality and deception, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed over my lack of connection with both the characters and the situation they found themselves in.