The best experiments are usually simple. With Ayub Khan-Din’s Notes on Falling Leaves, the Royal Court has revived the idea of a short-run mainhouse production without decor that encourages a writer to develop an offbeat idea without having to worry about filling the theatre for a whole month. And, with Pam Ferris and Ralf Little, it has given this exquisite tone poem a perfect cast.
A fiftysomething woman, who once worked as a lollipop lady, finds her memory collapsing as she experiences senile dementia. Meanwhile, her son revisits the now-empty family home, bringing with him a young woman. As mother and son speak in turn, you get an overwhelming feeling of loss, fear of death and the decay of memory.
It is a short piece from a writer usually associated with light comedy, so it carries a powerful emotional charge. For example, at one point, the man says of his mum: “Everything’s gone - you’re just a lovely smell on an old coat.” But although some might object to this as an aestheticisation of a distressing condition, it has a distinctive haunting flavour all of its own.
Superbly directed by Marianne Elliot, on a stage dominated by a park bench and littered with dry leaves, the play is delicately acted by Ferris and Little. The sincerity of their performances makes up for the emptiness of the stage. The Court should be congratulated for putting on this unusual piece - and perhaps this experiment could be repeated some time soon?
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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