Winding Up
By Roger Hall
Mayfair Theatre
Monday March 6
Review by SIMON HENDERSON
The cosy domestic comedy of Roger Hall has been a reliable drawcard for decades, and this latest offering sees him return to Barry and Gen, the couple from his 1991 play Conjugal Rites.
Winding Up picks up the tale of the witty twosome in their 70s and in comfortable retirement.
Barry (Mark Hadlow) and Gen (Alison Quigan) are looking forward to a trip to the United Kingdom to see their estranged son.
But life throws them a curveball when illness threatens to derail their plans and prompts discussions of funerals, family and farting.
Seasoned professionals Hadlow and Quigan are thoroughly believable as a couple who have been together for 50 years.
Death is knocking on the door but these two battle their mortality with bad jokes and bravado.
The set is simple but stylish, all elegant white-on-white lounge suites and a suggestion of a high rise retirement complex.
Hall is a dab hand at delivering lines that resonate with his middle class audience.
A bubble of laughter was a constant presence as kiwi quips and clever one-liners pepper the play.
Winding Up is a well-crafted and professionally acted night out that dips into deeper depths of pathos with the merest touch of a toe on the surface, delivering just enough to elicit an occasional sigh of sympathy without ruining your appetite.
