"There are many ways of loving" is both the first line and a constant refrain of this wistful, dreamlike short piece by South African playwrights Lara Foot Newton and Lionel Newton.
Its "only connect" theme is positively Forsterian, as two broken, middle-aged people use a tentative relationship to make themselves whole again.
At times, however, it seems as though the whole thing might disappear up its own whimsy, especially when irksome prop doors and windows are dragged around the stage.
There surely must have been a less clumsy way to show that Jan (agoraphobic, bibliophile, crippled) needs to get out, and Elizabeth (carer for a sick mother) needs to be let in somewhere.
The props don't stop there in Foot Newton's mood-rich production. Lionel Newton, as Jan, has a tiny pair of withered wooden legs strapped to his shirtfront, and is forced to manoeuvre simultaneously on crutches and on his knees. Perhaps he should blame the author for that idea.
Such tricksiness is a shame, though, as it detracts from the gentle, healing goodness of the emotion blossoming between Jan and Denise Newman's quietly patient Elizabeth. For which, a whispered 'Hear! Hear!'
Hear And Now
