'People' at The Pump House review

Offbeat, witty and heartwarming. People by Alan Bennett came to the Pump House for five charming performances this November. On the sold-out night I attended the play captivated its audience, but not in the way you may think.

The plot centres around the neglected home of the Stacpoole sisters, Dorothy and June (Imogen Roberts and Claire Andrews). June the Archdeacon is adamant on giving the house to the National trust whereas Dorothy wants to explore her options of a salesman, Bevan (Tim Williams) and a long-lost lover turned adult film producer Theodore (John Mower). The ongoing struggle of how to proceed captures a quintessential old English sentiment of tenacity and, all in all, stubbornness.

Minus the display of nudity in the first two minutes act one is slow paced with an unclear vision of where the plot will go. However, act two definitely ramps up. With Theodore given the go ahead a film is made shocking both June, the (luckily) half blind bishop and the audience. Scenes can only be described as raunchy, mixing the old and new to bring a comedic twist to tradition.The National Trust is portrayed as archaic whereas the adult film industry is taboo and exciting. Nobody truly loses the teenage sentiment of laughing at the idea of sex and sexual innuendos which is what makes this play successful. 

There is an unnecessary use of the pronoun ‘one’. I found it cropped up in nearly every sentence, and while I can respect it is part of received pronunciation it was just too much. There is solidifying a character as being stuck in the past and upper class, then there is being overtly repetitive and overcompensating. Despite the set being filled with antique tables, chairs and trinkets common to a stately home, it still lacked consistency. I noticed a menorah on a table in the background which felt odd considering they were a Chistian household. However, this being a local production that is easily forgiven.

Iris played by Wendy Ash, was perfectly comedic. The witty ‘companion’ who turns out to be exceedingly more is hilariously and intelligently aware.  She received the most laughs the entire night but her character remains smarter than most.

Dorothy, the protagonist is complex, but at the heart of it she desires a life of peace and love. Her black robe tied with what looked like a piece of rope contrasts her colourful collection of designer dresses, emphasising how time changes people. She, like many, has been through hardship and traumatic events and wishes to remain with what is familiar to her. The audience never once leaves her side emotionally, the pathos builds throughout and by the end we cannot help but empathise with and for her. She has performed emotionally and physically her whole life, and yet remains a spectacle as her family home becomes a show for the public to enjoy.

'People' encompasses both distain and love for people in the private and public sphere. Families argue and keep secrets, people crave financial gain, nothing changes. There is a loss of love and a critique on traditions, opening the audience to new, sometimes strange, ideas. Nothing is permeant and yet Dorothy remains stuck in time despite every effort to love. Overall, a good play by the Pump House, bringing local, authentic performances to the town.