The third of the Coward trilogies and the best.
The Astonished Heart was depressing, so quite unlike the usual Coward fluff. David Jansen and Claire Julien were believable lovers, Laurie Paton the forgiving wife.
Family Portrait was great fun. The costumes - Victorian with a hint of bondage were great. Again the strong cast and when Laurie Paton finally breaks out with the truth - such a sense of relief and fun. Michael Ball clearly enjoyed himself as the family retainer, staggering on and off stage.
Ways and Means was more typical Coward - amusing and larcenous.
Yes, the strongest of the sets.
ReplyDeleteI thought the Astonished Heart rather telegraphed the ending, probably all the time skipping made that more likely, and it seemed a bit creaky, but it was alright and the performances were great.
Family Portrait was great: funny, ridiculous and true at the same time. I loved the costumes and set.
Ways and Means was fun fluff. The best thing about it was the the set conversion from Family Portrait, but the acting was also very good.