The Time of Your Life

William Saroyan's dreamy ramble is set in 1939 in a honky tonk in San Francisco. Outside war is imminent and the longshore men are on strike as the hobos, floozies, drunks and would-be performers come to fuel their dreams with alcohol. Saroyan's play was last seen in a starrily cast RSC production in 1983. There are over twenty characters and in many ways it's a crazy idea to stage it in the tiny Finborough. Not much happens in the first half and attention needs to be held by a subtlety of acting which is beyond the reach of some here. Max Lewendel's production comes into its own as Matthew Roland Roberts's dogged Tom falls for Kitty who is being pursued by the vice squad. The ending feels like complete fantasy, as if it's the playwright who can't stand too much reality as much as his characters.