London Classic Theatre: Humble Boy

HUMBLE BOY - 2008

By Charlotte Jones
Directed by Michael Cabot
Designed by Jeremy Daker
Lighting by Peter Foster

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"This riveting play...a feast of quality acting...a show not to be missed"

The Stage


"...hilarious insights and exquisite comic timing..."
Manchester Evening News

"...a totally professional production which never misses a beat..."
Somerset County Gazette

CAST:

Peter Cadden, Carole Dance, John Dorney, Catherine Harvey, Pauline Whitaker and Martin Wimbush.

SELECTED VENUES:

Theatre Royal Winchester, New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich, Central Theatre Chatham, Brewhouse Theatre Taunton, Greenwich Theatre, Oldham Coliseum, Theatre Royal Margate and Norden Farm Maidenhead.

JOHN HANNAM - THE STAGE

"Humble Boy won numerous awards in the early part of the decade and this revival tour should enjoy great success nationwide.

There are no huge box office names, but this extremely talented cast of six makes it a show not to be missed. Within a beautifully designed floral garden set they bring forth the joys and sorrows that this riveting play conjures up. Judging by this Theatre Royal, Winchester opening, the play appeals to a wide section of ages.

The moment Peter Cadden, as George Pye, walks on stage this production really takes off and his character’s vocabulary and antics ensures the audience is not disappointed. It’s a gem of a performance and particularly enjoyed by those who now own bus passes.

John Dorney as Felix Humble, gives a masterful performance in a very complex role and creates all sorts of emotions. His occasional moments of intended stammering are so well perfected. Pauline Whitaker as Flora Humble, is something of the mother from hell and gives a very accomplished performance, easily slipping into the role of villain of the piece.

Carole Dance is a joy as the scatty and sometimes irritating Mercy Lott, who creates one of the play’s best lighter moments. In a feast of quality acting, both Catherine Harvey (Rosie Pye) and Martin Wimbush (Jim the Gardener) make their own mark in diverse roles.

It’s a strong theme full of clever comedy lines and, in complete contrast, scenes that really make a strong personal impact. Several of the many confrontational moments, between virtually every member of the cast, are superbly executed. With bees as a recurring theme, there is certainly more than one sting in this particular tale."

ALAN HULME - MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS

"This touring production comes from London Classic Theatre, a company that has established an increasingly decent reputation in its seven years of existence. Their memorable Abigail’s Party stopped off here last year and their current offering is again worth the trip to Greater Manchester’s most elevated - in topographical terms - theatre.

Charlotte Jones - whose claims to fame include co-writing the screenplay for Cold Mountain - had a big hit with Humble Boy at the National Theatre five or so years ago. The Manchester Library staged an excellent production shortly afterwards but it has virtually disappeared since, which makes this revival all the more welcome.

We are in an English country garden. Felix, a 35-year-old theoretical astro-physicist who is having head problems, has returned home for the funeral of his entomologist father. Self-centered, domineering mother Flora (Pauline Whitaker) is getting ready to marry the embarrassingly ardent George (Peter Cadden), with whom she has been having an affair for several years, a situation that isn’t helping improve Felix’s state of mind.

There’s also a mysterious gardener, much symbolic stuff about bees and references to the search for an explanation of the universe, with the dysfunctional Humble family and hangers-on seeming just as likely to solve their problems as they are to unravel the superstring theory. The highlight of the evening is a luncheon party scene that nearly out-Ayckbourn’s Ayckbourn in its hilarious insights and exquisite comic timing.

Director Michael Cabot is allowing a rather too measured pace in places but has cast all the roles well, with John Dorney particularly convincing as the stuttering, frustrated, brilliant but also incredibly stupid Felix."

ROD HANCOX - SOMERSET COUNTY GAZETTE

"London Classic Theatre were back at Taunton’s Brewhouse last week (following the success of its Abigail’s Party revival) with more contemporary fayre - Charlotte Jones’ Humble Boy. Contemporary yet timeless, this award-winning script b-b-brilliantly b-b-bridges the gap between Ayckb-b-ourn and Chekhov…with a b-b-big hunk of Hamlet thrown in.

Dad has had a bit of trouble with his bees (he got stung to death); his stammering son has trouble with his 'b's. Meanwhile mother is queen bee in the Humble hive. And how about the two families’ names - Humble and Pye? Contrived? Not in the usual sense, because this author is sharing the joke with us. Here is a warm, rich and wise script that is steeped in meaningful imagery. Charlotte Jones never underestimates her audience and her characters discuss technical matters in detail.

35-year old astrophysicist Felix Humble returns home following his father’s death to find an atmosphere of blame, resentment and secrecy. Artistic director Michael Cabot presents a dysfunctional family in a summery Cotswolds garden - a beautifully achieved set that might have won gold at Chelsea. There is much irony involving dad’s ashes but the real humour lies not in the business but in these characters’ attempts to relate to one another.

John Dorney as the bumbling Felix Humble gives a thoroughly three-dimensional performance of a complex, confused character whose progress through life is as erratic and as jumbled as a smoked-out swarm of bees. In contrast, his adversary, the retired Peter Cadden, provides highly enjoyable no frills directness as coach company boss George Pye.

Felix’s frustrations are compounded by his struggle to find any warmth, compassion and understanding in his controlling superficial mother, Flora, efficiently portrayed by Pauline Whitaker. She in turn counterbalanced by the supportive Mercy Lott, who no-one ever listens to until she seizes her chance while saying grace - the play’s highlight. Carole Dance delights in this gift of a role. Catherine Harvey also makes her mark as the feisty Rosie Pye and Martin Wimbush (Jim the Gardener) is an ever-present benign spirit.

This dark comedy is an instant classic and (fittingly) London Classic Theatre does it proud with a totally professional production which never misses a beat. Every aspect of LCT’s production (set, lighting, casting, performance, pace, direction) is spot on; nothing jars and nothing has been skimped on. Sometimes you go to the theatre and you wonder whether you are getting your money’s worth; on this occasion full and memorable value for money was enjoyed by an appreciative sell-out house."

PETER LEWIS - HEXHAM COURANT

"The Queen's Hall has a new and hard-won reputation as a centre of excellence for drama. It comes with the highest expectations from national arts bodies, though with meagre funds. Those of us who love high-class modern drama know that we are the most difficult of audiences both to attract and to keep. We live in the constant apprehension that not enough of us will attend performances and that the excellent touring companies that presently visit Hexham might find other venues.

At the very top of my list of favourites is London Classic Theatre who most recently brought us Abigail’s Party and returned last week with an even more modern classic, Charlotte Jones’ Humble Boy. This was a smash success in 2001 in the National Theatre and West End with a glittering cast that included, at times, Simon Russell Beale, Diana Rigg, Felicity Kendall and Denis Quilley. The play won immediate plaudits for its young author.

Critics were quick to praise but struggled to describe or classify the play. They observed that it was a comedy with edge that played with intellectual ideas rather like Tom Stoppard. But it also inhabits the same milieu and tone as Alan Ayckbourn. We are always being reminded of his definition of comedy/farce as interrupted tragedy.

The hero of the play, Felix Humble, is a modern day Hamlet, returning home from university to cope with his apiarist father’s death and his mother’s proposed marriage to her long-term boyfriend. Felix’s aim to continue a struggling career in astrophysical quantum mechanics is clearly a metaphor for his personal disjunctions. In the Cotswolds as in Elsinore our protagonist is playing out an Oedipus complex as he resents his mother’s overt sexual behaviour. Meanwhile our hero, fat and scant of breath, lugs his father’s urn of ashes around like a comforting toy. Other neighbours include an interfering female Polonius figure and an Ophelia who Felix unknowingly impregnated some years before.

She, more modern than her Shakespearean predecessor, declined to enter a nunnery and embarked on an orgy of promiscuity, before settling down to motherhood. Added to all of these is a ghostly gardener, much symbolic musings about fate, death and bee-keeping - to bee or not to be perhaps - plus an alfresco luncheon party full of angst and unexpected ingredients in the soup that was marvellous to behold.

As the neighbour, asked to say grace but who descends into a rant against the world and God, Carole Dance seized this wonderful chance for centre stage delight. Peter Cadden was an uncouth frustrated suitor while Catherine Harvey as his daughter was bluntly aggressive.

As the mysterious gardener Martin Wimbush moved in mysterious ways. But at the very core of the play John Dorney as the son and Pauline Whitaker as mother were magnificent. The ensemble playing of the company was a joy, not one weak link in what is a difficult text to navigate and a complicated set to traverse.

Michael Cabot and his colleagues gave us a highly professional and challenging evening. When and if London Classic Theatre return, for all our sakes, but especially your own, be there!"

ANNA PICKLES - REMOTEGOAT.CO.UK ****

"Following his father's sudden death, Cambridge academic Felix Humble (John Dorney) returns home to read the eulogy at the funeral. Unable to articulate his feelings, Felix disgraces his distant and straight talking mother (Pauline Whitaker) by fleeing mid-service and appearing sometime later in her garden. Struggling to come to terms with the loss of his father, rebuild some kind of relationship with his mother, and work on his Super String theory simultaneously, leave the character of Felix a superbly intelligent, yet bumbling chaotic mess. With the help of his ex-girlfriend (Catherine Harvey), her father (Peter Cadden) and a family friend, Mercy Lott (Carole Dance) Felix discovers just how much has changed in his absence and the lasting effect it will have on his life.

Set in a beautifully detailed English country garden, complete with soil and garden shed (designed by Jeremy Daker), Humble Boy takes us a very human and truthful journey of love and loss. Reminiscent of an Ayckbourn play, Charlotte Jones' intricately layered portrayal of a broken middle-class family struggling to come to terms with their bereavement makes for a wonderfully engaging evening. Charming and constant revelations from the typically British characters keep the audience captivated right up until the twist at the end.

London Classic's production of this award-winning play is a refreshing treat to watch. Having seen a run of disappointing performances in the West End, it is a true delight to find a smaller, yet more professional production in which all the actors deliver strong performances, without a single weak link. Particularly impressive were John Dorney's slightly unhinged Felix Humble and Carole Dance's painfully awkward and terribly British Mercy Lott.

This intelligent, witty production will strike a chord within the heart of anyone with an ounce of humanity. An excellent all-round production."

HAMPSHIRE CHRONICLE

"Bumbling Felix Humble, played by John Dorney, has a character as complex as the science that dominates his life.

The astrophysicist, and the focus of Charlotte Jones' play, Humble Boy, is researching the essence of our universe but, as we quickly learn, his time may be better spent concentrating on problems closer to home.

We pick up the story at the Humbles' Cotswold home shortly after the untimely death of Felix's father. The 30-something student is the target of scorn from his snooty mother who is incandescent that he failed to give a tribute to his Dad, instead fleeing the church.

Then we learn that his mother, Flora (Pauline Whitaker) had been having an affair with the brash George Pye (Peter Cadden) for the previous eight years.

Any unity that the family had prior to this revelation quickly shatters. It's further complicated by the news that Felix's relationship with George's daughter, Rosie (Catherine Harvey), has produced more than he bargained for.

The script is energetic, darkly funny and laden with clever metaphors. The serious message underlying the production is that family unity is a complex animal.

Dorney, in the lead role, gave an enchanting performance and was so good you felt the audience was yearning for his character to succeed. A very enjoyable evening."

GILES BROADBENT - WHARF.CO.UK

"Astro-physicists like neat answers to big questions creating eternal certainties. Life, as angst-ridden academic Felix Humble discovers, is squidgy, ragged, misshapen and generally unwelcoming to the notion of universal truths.

And so, in a middle England garden filled with birdsong, the Humble family and its satellites, mourning a quietly-spoken patriarch, wrestle with their very personal brand of chaos theory.

Charlotte Jones’s Humble Boy at Greenwich Theatre touches on super-string theory, bee propagation and anosmia but these are just window dressing for the essential drama - which is love, and death, and the unanswered resentments of family life.

Lives are changed here and nerves are exposed, twanged like banjo strings, and muted. Difficult truths are told in the heat of battle and accommodations are reached in the calm of a Cotswold’s idyll.

This production is a delight. Always something to see, always something to enjoy. The populist touches - capers with dad’s ashes, for example - never seem too contrived and the conflict is never overstated.

Laughs are rich and deeply rooted and drama is everywhere. In stifled Felix Humble’s anguish over his distant mum and his unprompted reunion with a former love. In Flora Humble’s self-centred attempts to justify her infidelities and wrangle her disappointments. In the rough and tumble of crossed paths, misunderstandings and frequent revelations.

The cast from London Classic Theatre is superlative throughout. John Dorney is compelling as the tic and stutter-fuelled scientist wrestling with the savage gore of biology. Pauline Whitaker as mum Flora crumbled with mathematical precision from ice queen to the lost widow with a stately grace.

Comedy comes from Peter Cadden as brash suitor George Pye and Carole Dance as meek Mercy Lott while Catherine Harvey as Felix’s former lover Rosie Pye and Martin Wimbush as Jim the gardener deliver wisdom in earthy chunks.

Occasionally, the strands of symbolism and metaphor knot up till we don't know our Icarus from our bumble bees - and the final act is a tad overlong - but the rewards of this symmetrical and beautifully-written piece keep on coming."

LONDON CLASSIC THEATRE, THE PRODUCTION OFFICE, 63 SHIRLEY AVENUE, SUTTON, SURREY, SM1 3QT
TELEPHONE: 020 8395 2095 EMAIL: INFO@LONDONCLASSICTHEATRE.CO.UK