Cause Célèbre

(The Old Vic, 21 May 2011)

The text may have been appropriate for an all-forgiving classical opera, but for a play it is flat. The text takes no chances to be misunderstood, thereby excluding the audience from the creative process. The dialogues are literal. The two plot lines are poorly integrated and seem to exist only to present the playwright's, Terence Rattigan's, disparate thoughts.

The director, Thea Sharrock, fails to fill the void. The characters are generic. Social classes are type cast. The court-room drama is familiar.