The Circle at Orange Tree Theatre

Orange Tree Theatre is an easy 45 minute walk away so it is one of the theatres that I manage to see almost all of their productions. I skip a few for various reasons but I was not going to miss something by Somerset Maugham.

Their pricing system has changed a little and, for reasons that escape me, the seats in the corners are a little cheaper than the rest even though I would argue that the view is better there (the stage looks narrower) so I went for seat A19for £26.

The Circle is a will-she, won't-she story about a young woman considering leaving her aristocratic and parliamentary husband thirty years after his mother had left his father. The mother and hew new love had moved to Italy and had not been since.

Unexpected circumstances have thrown all six players together in the young MP's country home. This allows Maugham to play with different combinations of the six very different characters as they, and we, explored the current situation and learned more about what had gone before.

Lightening the mood a little were a few comedy vignettes (they were not big enough to be called gags) such as the authenticity of an antique chair and a game of bridge. Small though they were they did change the mood and the pace of the play which is a good thing, if done correctly.

The casting was a little strange. The play was very clear about people's ages so it was a little odd to have three people well into their 70s playing people under 60. It just about worked because the older generation were all around the same age and also because the tree actors, Jane Asher, Clive Francis and Nicholas Le Prevost, were all very convincing in their roles.

I said that this was a will-she, won't she story and the she was perfectly played by Olivia Vinall.

The Circle never tried to do very much other than be light entertainment and it was very entertaining so that is a good result.