A Taste Of Honey - Sheffield

Reviewed By: Paul and Gertie Whitfield

A Taste Of Honey was first produced in the late 1950s and was a ground-breaking piece of drama. Featuring a female, working class protagonist and sympathetic, honest portrayals of black and gay characters it helped to change the face of British theatre. It tells the story of Jo, a Salford teenager, and her tempestuous relationship with her mother, Helen.

Delaney's dialogue stands the test of time. It is witty, sharp and acerbic. The relationships in the play are compelling too. The audience were clearly gripped by the honesty and integrity of the story.

For the play to work well the central relationship between Jo and Helen must be electric. Jo (SAMANTHA ROBINSON) is excellent and it is her performance that is the real strength of this production. Fragile, capricious, angry and spirited, she is always watchable. SAMANTHA GILES' Helen, however, tips too far in the direction of caricature and as a result the mother / daughter relationship loses much of its' possible depth and complexity. Of the other characters, BRUNO LANGLEY is a likeable and sympathetic Geoffrey, CHRIS JACK is solid as the boy Jo falls for, but ANDONIS ANTHONY'S Peter is little more than a pantomime villain.

STUART WOOD makes some strange directorial decisions that don't always serve the play well. There are inconsistencies in the staging and unnecessary comic business that doesn't help the telling of the story.

We were disappointed by this production. It is a testament to the strength of DELANEY's writing, however, that most of the audience seemed not to share our misgivings. They responded very warmly.

© Theatreworld Internet Magazine, 17/5/06

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