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Fiona Mountford's rating
, Lonely lady in How To Be An Other Woman
By
Fiona Mountford
3 Sep 2010
It’s a nifty idea to transpose to the stage Lorrie Moore’s 1985 short story about adultery in New York using four actresses to portray one young woman, all dressed up with nowhere to go unless her married lover calls.
Anyone expecting the Chardonnay-and-gossip approach of the BBC series Mistresses will be disappointed, as Natalie Abrahami’s production minors in actual dialogue but majors in a sensuous, lugubrious atmosphere, underpinned by the sinuous movement work of Aline David.
It’s a slight tale — initial euphoria, subsequent delusion, eventual redemption — that in Abrahami’s adaptation sometimes struggles to hold our interest, despite a running time of only an hour. The identically dressed Faye Castelow, Samantha Pearl, Ony Uhiara and Cath Whitefield take it in turns to play Charlene, a secretary with an expensive beige raincoat and a “degree in failure”, as well as her unnamed lover, and come off far better when they’re sticking to their own sex. Racks of shoes and coats line the stage, confirming that Charlene is a material girl with a lonely soul, taking refuge in the empty consumerism of the big city. A series of romantic standards on the soundtrack further underscores the gap between Charlene’s dreams and a mistress’s downbeat daily life.
Until Oct 2. Box office: 020 7229 0706. gatetheatre.co.uk
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
