A Cold Supper Behind Harrods
Review by Guy Holmes
In July 1940, Winston Churchill authorised the foundation of the Special Operations Executive with the chilling command “And now go set Europe ablaze”. Churchill’s Secret Army, or the Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare as it was also known, quickly adapted to its role, learning and developing the tactics of espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance to disrupt and foment hatred amongst the axis powers, and to assist local resistance movements.
In F section of the SOE (F for France) 470 field agents were deployed, approximately 40 of whom were women. Of those 40, 16 did not survive the war, 12 of whom were killed in concentration camps.
Against this backdrop, we fast forward to 1997 where a BBC documentary crew is piecing together the story of Patricia, one of the female operatives killed in Buchenwald. Interviews are being held with 3 of her colleagues; Vera Atkins, her trainer (Tricia Peroni); Leo Marks, a code maker in F Section (Martin Woodruff); and John Harrison (Colin Lawrence), a field operative who we later learn was also Patricia’s fiancé. We join them in a secluded garden in early summer as they wait for their turn to face the microphone.
As with all experienced operatives, each keeps their cards close to their chest as they meet for the first time since the end of the war. Now more than 50 years later the mood is far from convivial. Just beneath the superficial pleasantries, anger, frustration, and suspicion are barely concealed, breaking disguise in the form of pointed questions, curt asides, and veiled accusations.
John Harrison is a jovial man, full of warmth and charm. He effortlessly chats and jokes with all those around him, building rapport, and trust through his down-to-earth likability. Despite his bonhomie, he harbours an awful secret. How is it possible that he survived his capture by the Gestapo and 2 years of incarceration in Buchenwald? Vera Atkins has made it her vow to discover why so many of her agents were captured and killed. Was there an informant among SOE? Was John a turncoat? How many others did he betray and turn? Was he ultimately responsible for his fiancée Patricia’s capture and execution? These are the questions that Vera presses John to answer. Leo Marks wants to know why SOE command continually repeated their mistakes despite his many warnings. Were they incompetent, stubborn, or was there some other more sinister reason? John on the other hand has little desire to discuss his past, having run away from it for most of his postwar life. When pressed he tries to divert the conversation to why he was sent to France on a mission that was so obviously doomed to failure. In this way, he desperately hopes to exonerate himself from everything that followed his capture but fails to do so. Finally, as John is forced to face the few surviving SOE operatives that he is accused of betraying, he must be carried in to meet them by Vera and Leo, as if being carried to his execution, an ironic reflection perhaps of his treatment at the hands of the Gestapo many years before.
An extremely well written and thoroughly thought-provoking piece of theatre, the script from the pen of David Morely builds suspense beautifully. It has all the logic and plot development of a bestselling spy novel; slowly revealing the plot, carefully developing the individual characters, and capturing and holding the attention of the audience throughout. This play somehow delivers far more than its short length suggests.
With just a cast of 4, most of the work was carried by the three main characters. Three very experienced and talented actors led the way. Colin Lawrence portrayed John Harrison’s joviality and affability effortlessly. The bravado as he arrived was soon replaced by fury at his capture by the Gestapo and desperation as he tried to get the others to understand his plight in Buchenwald. When cajoling failed to persuade them of his innocence, anger gave way to defeat as his resolve crumbled showing the same fallibility and vulnerability that no doubt had been manipulated by his Gestapo captors. This was a strong performance, convincing and very moving. Tricia Peroni was a Vera Atkins of grit and steely determination. Her agents had been her family and she had lost them, and now was her chance to get to the truth of what had happened. Cold, aloof, brusque, and at times cruelly intent on exacting retribution, she was the perfect inquisitor. This was another strong characterisation and very believable performance. Leo Marks, played by Martin Woodruff was kind, gentle, and urbane. His burning desire to use the interview to publicise the incompetence of SOE management was utterly frustrated and it showed. We never doubted his love, admiration, and respect for Patricia, and his sadness and regret that it was unrequited was very touching. His attempts to mollify the interplay between John and Vera were essential to balancing the arguments and adeptly delivered, only taking sides when pushed to do so by John’s desperate insults. This was another strong performance and very believable characterisation. No means last or least, Emma Heyn, playing the part of Chloe Woolf was extremely well cast as the BBC production assistant, and captured her character perfectly. Polite and deferential yet absolute and insistent, she was totally believable and nicely played.
The cue bite, movement, pace, modulation, and positional awareness of the cast in such a complicated space couldn’t be faulted.
The simplicity of the set (designed by Barry Brown and built by Ben McKeegan and his team) recreated an English garden perfectly in a small and difficult performance area. Three chairs, a table, a climber covered trellis and several pot plants were eclipsed by an impressively hidden LCD screen used to great effect to suggest the ever-present memory of Patricia. Birdsong, backing track, and BBC communications added an additional and very effective layer of sound (Paul Malpas). The lighting was undoubtedly summertime and even in the depths of a wintry and wet December evening, suggested that the audience might need to remove a layer or two. The costumes, hair and make-up were practical and totally in keeping with the characters, reflecting their status and age without distracting or complicating the action (costumes, Mandi Catell, hair and make-up, Hannah Curtis). The entire piece looked, sounded, and felt just right.
Credit goes to Nick Warburton and his production manager Joyce Fenton for championing, casting, directing, and bringing this excellent piece of theatre to Corpus Christi. Sensitive direction combined with a deep understanding of the play, strong acting, and subtle but perfect sound and visual content more than did justice to the play. The moral dilemmas were communicated powerfully in a way that is lasting and deeply affecting. This is a play about bravery, love, betrayal and ultimately survival. Whilst it never directly asks what we would do in the same circumstances, we are left to witness the dilemma through the actions and aftereffects of others. It leaves us to decide on the correct moral path and to ask ourselves: Who are we to judge those who failed the test, especially if we have never been tested ourselves? How reasonable is it to expect unfailing courage in others when facing the ultimate sacrifice? These are questions that remain as relevant today as they were 80+ years ago.