"A Taste of Honey" is rather like a mirror that has fallen across a particularly sordid, cruel and outrageous section of real life. It reflects it, unbiased, uninhibited, and without anger.

A little after 8 p.m. on the 10th April, the concert chamber was thrown into complete darkness, while the tawdry but compelling music of Dave Brubeck etc. drummed its way noisily from the speakers.

An opening scene that might have been very effective was somewhat spoilt by Inaccurate lighting; and the atmosphere created by the urgent and vulgar call of the music, was lost utterly as the dialogue began. However, half-way through the First Act, the tension and turmoil started to rise again, as the "star" actress Jennifer Hogan gained possession of her part. From here on the audience found itself completely involved in the moods and problems of the real people on the stage.

The Plot

The idea of the play is fairly straightforward, and the way it is presented by Shelagh Delaney, a 19-year-old playwright, is artistic and dramatically sound. She creates a series of situations all of which involve some problem, with a combination of conventional and unconventional reactions to it. She deals, primarily, with the problems of the unmarried expectant mother, of the disjointed relationship between parent and child, of colour prejudice, and of society's attitude to the homosexual.

The play tells of the wilful independence of Jo, a schoolgirl, who is abandoned by a flighty mother, and then finds she is pregnant with the child of a Jamaican sailor. She is looked after by a young homosexual art student.

The Acting

Helen Brew made a magnificent 'Helen' (the mother,) and in many ways stole the show. Jennifer Hogan, as Jo, was outstanding, though she seemed a little cold for the first few scenes.

Jo's Jamaican boyfriend was played by David Taylor, a sensitive actor, though somewhat restrained in this difficult part. Peter Vere-Jones, as Peter, Helen's drunken husband, gave some fine acting especially in Act II.

Robin Slessor, as the young homosexual, achieved a tremendous amount of freshness and originality in a part that is made difficult by its insignifience. His acting is unobtrusive, but very fine indeed.

Production by Ralph McAllister was tasteful, appropriate, and always artistic, with the result that "A Taste of Honey" was at least, a financial success.

J. C. T.