The double bill by the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company is a brilliant addition to the West End and a great beginning of a year-long run of different shows directed by Sir Kenneth at the Garrick Theatre.
All on her Own is a monologue and opens the show. Zoë Wanamaker delivers a breath-taking performance as a widow who tries to talk to her Husband’s spirit while getting drunk on his whiskey. The audience follows her every word, as soon as she steps onto the stage.
The second play, Harlequinade, is a comedy about an aging actor Arthur Gosport, played by Kenneth Branagh. He is so absorbed in his own world that he doesn’t realise what’s happening around him in his Shakespeare production of Romeo and Juliet. This mistake leaves him, his wife and the stage manager who is played by Tom Bateman, in chaotic situations. Co-directed by Robert Ashford the production leaves everyone in stitches.
Harlequinade/All on her own ran at the Garrick Theatre until Jan. 2016