CLOSE QUARTER PRODUCTIONS

THE HEART OF THINGS - Jermyn Street & Kenton Theatre Henley, March/April 2015

 

Cast:

 

RALPH WATSON 

NICK WARING 

PATIENCE TOMLINSON 

KEITH PARRY

AMY ROCKSON

OLLO CLARK

 

Director - Knight Mantell

Set and Costume Design - Joana Dias

Lighting Design - Nic Farman

Sound Design - Andrew Johnson

Stage Manager - Josephine Rossen

Assistant Stage Manager - Isabella Brain

Chief Electrician / Show Operator - Thom Collins

Casting - Georgia Fleury Reynolds

Casting Consultant - Lucy Casson

 

The play was co-produced by John B Hobbs and Alexander Marshall, with Simon Oliver as Associate Producer.

 

​The Heart of Things is a poignant drama about family, ambition, love and loyalty. And birthdays. It examines the conundrum that exists in sexual identity and the ‘minor disturbances’ that have far-reaching effects in people’s private lives.

 

Some press comments:

 

      “There are some wonderful performances, especially from Patience Tomlinson as Ros. She conveys without fuss multiple layers of sadness and warmth and hurt and daily decency, and your heart goes out to her. Ollo Clark too, as William, nicely evokes a generation – one I know well – of citified educated youth emerging, laughing slightly shamefacedly, from dull rural homes and returning with a gentle patronizing kindness.”

Libby Purves, TheatreCat 

 

      “The character of Peter requires the most emotional range, and Nick Waring rises to the challenge excellently.”

      “Ralph Watson excels as the ruthlessly dismissive Brian.”

      “At several points during the play it feels like the real underlying drama has been uncovered, only for it to turn out to be a false direction. The real answer, when it comes, is subtly seeded right from the beginning, and feels simultaneously shocking and inevitable.”

     “The Heart of Things is, as the title suggests, a play about uncovering all that is hidden, letting out all that has been bottled up. It reveals the dark underbelly of family life, the shocking reality hiding under ultimately meaningless arguments, and it does so sensitively, in a way that does not feel unnecessarily dramatised or hyped up. There is an emphasis on the importance of family ties throughout, and this, in the end, is what wins out.”

Playstosee.com ****

 

      “Nick Waring as Peter is excellent throughout, bringing out the loneliness of his character and his struggle to come to terms with his failed life. It is an affecting performance both in the moments of emotional outburst and the subtler sense of awkwardness with people Peter knows so well but rarely sees.”

      “Credit also to Keith Parry as Bob, a neighbour and father to Ros’s child, who provides almost all the comic relief... Patience Tomlinson’s Ros is particularly good in a nice scene with Ollo Clark as her son William, which feels like a genuine mother and son connection.”

Thepublicreviews.com

 

      “A very interesting play... the fantastic set by designer Joana Dias not only makes superb use of the theatre’s stage space but somehow seems to enlarge it so that a complete kitchen looks as if it has always occupied that space.”

      “Ralph Watson gives an inspired performance as Brian.”  “Patience Tomlinson’s lovely portrayal of Ros…”

      “Interesting, entertaining and open to interpretation – like most family gatherings The Heart of Things has them all.”

Londontheatre1.com ***