NO NEED TO SIT SEPARATE
Terrence Rattigan's hit play of 1955, is given a new light in the west end's latest revival "Separate Tables". Though the subject in the 1950s caused a great stir, forcing Rattigan to rewrite certain portions of the play, the subject today is one that would not stir up emotion to the level that it had caused in the 1950s, if any emotion at all The play centres around a group of lonely guests that are residing at the Beauregard Hotel in Bournemouth. In the 50s it was usual for guests to live in hotels and also to dine by themselves, hence the term "Separate Tables". The hotel atmosphere is turned over, once a pompous Mrs Railton Bell discovers that Major Pollock, is hiding a terrible secret, and wants to protect her frail daughter, Sybil, who in fact is in love with the Major, despite the age differences. On the other end of the hotel, John Malcom, a alcoholic and failed writer is attempting to keep his engagement to the hotel owner -Pat Cooper, a secret, that is until his ex-wife turns up, to claim him back In what would be a difficult play to comprehend and follow, for this time period, Separate Tables manages to pull off with conviction, that due to the emotions the play contains The lead cast do an excellent job of displaying the natural human behaviour, that could be expected of anyone in the predicaments, these characters face.
