015 Speculative Fiction – Old
I adored The
Understudy by Jo Anderson, a very intelligent, literate thriller/ghost
story starring who else but Nigel Anthony.
Though I have to say, it was probably his most consummate performance
since Dark (1978). He was absolute stunning as John Stanger, a
middle-aged actor edging into old age who is convinced against his better
judgement by his agent Maurice to take a role as an understudy to a large part
which is being filled by an actor who has mainly done TV since his student
theatre days. Stanger doesn’t want to do
it because he will be rehearsing for a role he most likely won’t play and won’t
be able to properly integrate with the cast.
At the same time, he’s been working on a one-man show for some time (it
took me a little while, but I pegged that it was on the life of William Terris,
who any self-respecting ghost aficionado knows was a not-very-good Victorian
actor who was murdered outside Covent Garden and now, occasionally, haunts the
Tube). Stanger’s wife is Jen (Frances
Jeater) who is a radio drama producer (!), and she seems to be about at the end
of her rope in terms of dealing with her husband’s capricious, self-absorbed
ways. Stanger is deeply sympathetic and
very well-written, but still, you can understand where Jen is coming from. As if all this wasn’t complicated enough,
Stanger starts getting followed at night by strange figures and gets strange
messages on the answerphone, all seeming to point to the fact that the events
that conspired to end Terris’ life are coming after him, too. It was a wonderfully eerie experience to
listen to Stanger being haunted as I walked along a deserted road in the twilight. Originally from 1994, it was directed by
Adrian Bean. I don’t quite know why this
needed such a huge cast list, but it was a great production. It also starred Caroline Strong, Peter
Whitman, Barry Gordon, Neville Jason, Fraser Kerr, Cathy Sara, Terry John, Gaye
Brown, Jo Anderson, Tom Bevan, Paul Panting, Elaine Claxton, Lyndam Gregory,
Teresa Gallagery, and Shaun Prendergast.
And on that note, we end Quarter 2 and
leap into Quarter 3!
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