In a Guardian book club interview, Penelope Lively, the writer of Moon Tiger asked: "What is memory? An albatross around our necks, or the one thing we can't do without?" This intriguing theme runs throughout her book and in the current adaptation by Simon Reade which is showing at the Rose Theatre, Kingston this week. Presented by Royal Bath Productions and directed by Stephen Unwin, the play has great pedigree. I am a huge fan of Unwin's, having been captivated by his recent adaptation of Ghosts and A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, both at the Rose Theatre. Happily his directing of this play doesn't disappoint, although it doesn't have the wow factor of the previous two. This is a very different challenge - to engage an audience for two acts with the continuing narrative of a central character, in this case Claudia Hampton, played by Jane Asher. With one person dominating the dialogue it's hard to get to know the other characters in any depth, but by keeping the other actors on stage throughout, Unwin offers us interesting dynamics to observe.
Great set design by Timothy Bird keeps us engaged with a large screen showing news footage and various striking images, including that of the Moon Tiger - the name given to the coil of silver ash left behind by a burnt out mosquito coil. These visual extras add great colour and life to a play that could become a bit slow as it is so very wordy. The wistful, lost-love type of narrative that is the backbone of this play needs punctuation and action to give it life. Jane Asher delivers with feeling the story of her life, nipping in and out of her eventual sick bed as she re-enacts various episodes with the aid of a strong supporting cast.
Christopher Brandon is fantastically versatile in his roles as brother, Italian surrogate son, Texan tourist and driver. I was mesmerised by his ability to convey a truck rumbling through the desert with nothing more than a chair - so mesmerised in fact, that I realised I'd zoned out of the narrative. This didn't seem to matter as this is a simple story, of Claudia growing up in the home counties then spending time in Egypt as a war correspondent. The rest of the cast also switch niftily and convincingly between characters, Jade Williams beautifully capturing the painful and awkward relationship between a daughter and her dying mother with whom she has always had a difficult relationship.
It's a good play but how I missed the steaming heat of the desert, the sound of cicadas, the intense heat of the sun - I felt the story might have been set any where, but maybe that 's the point, maybe it could be anywhere we choose it to be. I found it an enjoyable, comfortable romp through Claudia's story, the pains of her love life, the incestuous love between her and her brother, the awkwardness of parenthood, the ambiguity of historical memories. But somehow the narrative approach distanced me from the characters and, despite the obvious talent of the whole cast, I felt I never quite got to know them.
Moon Tiger plays at the Rose Theatre, Kingston until Saturday March 1 www.rosetheatrekingston.org
