Sir Ian McKellen and Roger Allam have established themselves as two national treasures of theatrical performances across the spectrum from Pantomime together, to classic theatre like King Lear and Uncle Vanya, to film and TV like Lord of the Rings and Endeavour and have long proven they have stage presence and acting skills to enthral an audience. It is therefore inspired casting to bring them together for a short summer season at the Theatre Royals of Windsor and Bath. Frank and Percy, a new play by Ben Weatherill, is a gentle meander through twenty-two short scenes showing their relationship evolve from a first chance meeting on the Heath as they walk their respective dogs, Toffee and Bruno (who sadly we never see).
They are playing their age, two elderly single men alone after the end of their previous long-term relationships. Frank (Allam) is a retired history teacher who has lost his wife and Percy (McKellen) is a former Professor of sociology who is about to publish a new book about climate change, has split from his long-term boyfriend but has a daughter in Australia. Percy is openly gay; Frank is persuaded to declare himself as bisexual but still sees Percy as “a bit of an arsehole”. The best line in the whole play is when Frank strokes his own head and declares with delightful pride “My hair is far too precious to me”.
Weatherill’s script wanders through all the themes we might expect in such a set-up. Will Frank fall for Percy’s blatant attempts to seduce him with jokes about “deep throat cucumber” and “ham salads acting as an aphrodisiac”? They worry about their health and joke about statins and Viagra. They plan their first Pride visit together and sing Karaoke badly together. The best moments come when we see the two bickering and arguing after Bruno is injured while in the care of Frank and there is real pathos and tension in their relationship. There is more tension when they discuss the contents of Percy’s climate change book and the rejection of his speaking tour to promote it. These scenes show the potential of the characterisations in the hands of such experts but too many other scenes seem to be a work in progress in the writing and even actors of this quality struggle to make the lines seem natural, occasionally stumbling over the words. There were plenty of laughs from the audience willing it to be good, one of the biggest, unfathomably, to a line about the dog eating six packets of crisps!There is an elegant setting, a grey revolve that is used for all the scenes, internal and external, and a rear wall that rises to show the Heath trees and tells us the scene number and location. It means the two characters are often left standing, side by side, centre stage or sat on blocks as tables and chairs. Only occasionally is their physical action such a comical dance, so they rely on the nuanced looks, pauses and reactions to convey the state of their relationship which of course McKellen is a master of, grimacing and gurning throughout while Allan remains stoically glum. They do at least look like they are enjoying themselves on stage and we can sense their mutual respect.
I expected more from these wonderful actors. Instead, we see two grumpy old men gossiping and bitching in an episodic tale that has little to say to us and curiously there are bigger laughs in the dark and sinister The Pillowman that opened this week. Nevertheless, a chance to see Sir Ian McKellen on stage is always a treat and once again you leave the theatre remembering his spell-binding performances over time from Bent, through Coriolanus, Hamlet, and King Lear to Mother Goose and his brilliant one-man show and admiring his capacity and energy to carry a show at eighty plus. Then wondering what he will do next! These are five-star actors in a three-star play.Review by Nick Wayne
Rating: ★★★
Seat: Stalls, Row L | Price of Ticket: £55
