84 Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff. Ensemble Theatre, Sydney May 1 – June 2026.
Reviewed by Frank McKone
May 30
Creatives
Writer: Helene Hanff; Adapted for the stage by James Roose-Evans
Director: Mark Kilmurry
Movement Director: Julia Robertson; Set & Costume Designer: Nick Fry
Lighting Designer: Matt Cox;
Composer & Sound Designer: Madeleine Picard
Dialect Coach: Linda Nicholls-Gidley
Stage Manager: Lauren Tulloh; Assistant Stage Manager: Bella Wellstead
Costume Supervisor: Judy Tanner
Cast
Helen Hanff - Blazey Best
Megan Wells / Maxine Stuart - Katie Fitchett
Cecily Farr / Mrs Todd - Angela Mahlatjie
Bill Humphries - Brian Meegan
Frank Doel - Erik Thomson
84 Charing Cross Road,
adapted for stage from Helen Hanff’s memoir, is an intriguing play, and
ultimately sad as the final letter tells of Frank Doel’s unexpected
death. In the intimacy of the Ensemble, where we can see each other all
around the acting space, it’s almost like family as Blazey Best opens
the envelope and begins to read – but it’s not from Frank himself, as it
has always been for so many years.
Just when it seems, at last, Helen may have the money to go to England to visit the bookshop and actually meet Frank.
Blazey
Best’s creation of the character of the real Helen Hanff, always a
risky acting task, is exactly right, except on one point. Helen was
interviewed at the time the story was launched as a movie.
The
important point is that Best has captured Helen’s mannerisms, her way of
speaking, but has exaggerated her New York accent, giving her a
high-pitched sharp tone of voice, which I often found made her words
difficult to follow – while making the character sometimes quite
unattractive. The real Helen, at least when she was older, had a
moderated and more rounded sounding NY voice.
Maybe
the harshness in Best’s presentation is right early in the play, but
should be moderated as Helen ages. I think, in comparison, that Erik
Thomson as Frank achieved that kind change over time very well, with a
bit more than necessary of a toff English accent when still young,
making his antique book-selling a ‘thing’; but settling in to a
confident corporate manager’s smooth speaking; and later becoming older –
and badly affected by illness, like the ’flu, showing a touch of
roughness in an ageing voice.
The design of the staging of the
letters being read out as they were being “written” at Helen’s writing
desk in New York and in the office at 84 Charing Cross Road in London,
appearing as together simultaneously, is highly successful in creating
the sense of personal connection that Helen and Frank developed in real
life at a physical distance.
This design also then needed fine
detail by the movement director to create the complex set of
relationships in the London office instantly parallel with the details
of Helen’s activities and emotional actions and reactions in sending and
receiving.
The timing – as in comedy – has to be precise to a
fine degree; and all the actors in this tight group got it right,
becoming fascinating to watch at every moment. They never missed.
Which is a reason in itself for the play being Not to be Missed.
And
then there’s the real reason for seeing this story of the 1950s, 60s
and even later, the time before email, social media and AI – when we
wrote letters. And when we expressed our feelings for each other.
I
was there, growing into adulthood alongside Helen Hanff, and I thank
Blazey, Erik, Brian, Katie and Angela, and the whole Ensemble team for
showing me the way.
©Frank McKone, Canberra
