‘People’ at the National Theatre doesn’t quite know how to focus its argument

LONDON — Alan Bennett’s new play at the National Theatre in London finds Frances de la Tour playing Dorothy, a woman unsure of what to do with her family mansion. There are plenty of options: She could let it continue to collect dust and fall into the pits of the earth; she could hand it over to the National Trust in the name of preservation; she could let it fall into private hands; or she could rent it out to the adult film industry. This last choice is one she attempts, and it should come as no surprise that the results are foolish and oddly off-topic. Dorothy’s inability to choose, and her wrestling with pent-up emotions over her life’s unrealized ambitions, become the crux of this otherwise secondary piece from one of the great British playwrights living today.

De la Tour, as to be expected, is marvelous, giving Dorothy an acid wit and depressing lonesomeness. She’s an in-denial recluse who keeps company with an old friend played by Linda Bassett. The two find comfort in their pitiful existence, wiling away the hours in the once-stately rooms of the mansion. Great works of art hang from the walls, and these two friends sit in chairs next to an electric heater and talk about anything that pops into their head. Parallels to Grey Gardens seem appropriate.

Dorothy’s sister (Selina Cadell) is the one pushing the National Trust avenue. She believes it’s the only way to preserve the dignity of the estate and keep the finances in order. While Dorothy is more of a free spirit, never looking to compromise with the establishment, her sister is a vicar in the church and balks at the disrepair of the old homestead.

Bennett’s premise, and many of his ideas, are appropriate for a theatrical work. There’s a lot of ground to cover between the old guard and the new guard when it comes to discussing and debating Britain’s past. There are some one-liners, mostly spoken by Dorothy, that strike right at the heart of the issue. The National Trust, in particular, doesn’t walk away unscathed. It’ll be up to each audience member whether Bennett’s critique is fair and balanced.

The problem with the two-act piece is that it falls into a haphazard farce, and the turn of events robs the play of profundity, diluting the argument to the point where it’s almost unrecognizable. Here we are, sitting in the National’s Lyttelton Theatre, and the story we thought we were watching is completely taken hostage by a ridiculous sub-plot involving Dorothy’s old flame and a movie shoot that runs awry. There’s likely some deeper meaning to it all, but it feels like an intrusion to an otherwise compelling story.

Dorothy is such an interesting character, defined by the companionship of her friend and the obstinacy of her sister, and she deserves a proper vehicle to teach us a lesson or two. Having her swoon over a man she once loved, fondly remember her days as a model, and giving in to a production’s last-ditch effort to shoot a move in the estate, seems unbecoming and trivial. Bennett’s barbs are dulled by these extraneous offshoots.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• People is currently playing at the National Theatre through April 2. Tickets run from 12 pounds to 47 pounds. Click here for more information.