Travels With My Aunt Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe Review: Jo Wood

I REALLY had no idea what to expect from Travels With My Aunt. However, it was clear as soon as the lights went up to reveal four identical black suited performers, this one was going to be "different".

Apart from a handful of props and cards held up which told us which city we were passing through, there was only a handful of re-arranged blue stage blocks to carry us around the world in the company of Aunt Augusta.

Fortunately because all four actors were versatile (confident and proficient in many accents) we didn't need costume changes and colourful backdrops. This was a piece of pure theatre, relying on speedy delivery of well-written dialogue, and tight direction.

Graham Greene's story centres on Henry Pulling, a retired bank manager with the charisma of Arthur Dent and a passion for dahlias.

Thrown utterly off balance by an encounter with his aunt at his mother's funeral, Henry embarks on some extraordinary journeys across Europe and South America meeting a host of curious characters along the way.

Sharing the role of Henry were Robert Zarywacz, Su Scott-Goldstone and Bob Corwin — and we thoroughly believed in all of them.

I hesitate to say whether this imaginative 1960s novel was influenced by illegal substances, but it is quite possible that the whole play was just one long trip. However you choose to interpret the story, we are fortunate to have Studio Theatre here in North Devon, a company who are willing to take a risk and put on a production that won't necessarily guarantee bums on seats. It was both impressive and thought provoking.