The Old Country n Review: Malvern Theatres

From the archive, first published Friday 3rd Mar 2006.

Alan Bennett's The Old Country is a play about exile, memories and Englishness.

Hilary (Timothy West), an English spy, formerly of the Foreign Office and once a man of power and influence, is living with his long suffering wife, Bron, in exile in the Soviet Union. You feel ideologies mean little to him and the reason he turned traitor is never made clear.

When his sister and brother-in-law come to visit, polite English good manners mean everyone pretends life in exile in the Soviet Union is `nice' and England is going to the dogs.

All the characters know, but won't say, however bad things are in England, it is still England.

But for West's character to admit to wanting to go home is difficult. Bennett's script gives him some wonderfully funny lines and he is well supported, particularly by Simon Williams as his newly knighted brother-in-law.

It's an entertaining and thought-provoking play about loyalty, betrayal and what `home' means.

However, I found some aspects of the story unclear and would have preferred the play to have explained more about the precise nature of Hilary's betrayal.

Sue Vickers

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