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Veteran playwright Peter Nichols's new drama seems to be based half on his memories of teaching English as a foreign language in post-war Florence, and half on The History Boys. There's a remarkable degree of similarity between the way that the two staff rooms seem to function as metaphorical microcosms, even unto the long-suffering female pragmatists, the accusations of inappropriate behaviour with the pupils and a sudden, half-unexpected, tragic ending screeching in from out of nowhere.
The post-war Europe that Lingua Franca sets out to explore is a fascinating place, but, annoyingly, this frequently gets in the way of the piece ever turning into a real play. Huge chunks of historical exposition and national identity keep getting in the way of the broad, quirky characters becoming fully human.
The cast (including Rula Lenska!) bring some finely observed performances to bear on the script - Natalie Walter's American-occupied German, with an accent clearly learnt from Marilyn Monroe, is outstanding, for example. But ultimately this fascinating study of comparative morality, the value of art, national identity and ideology still feels more like a grab-bag first draft than the finished article.
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Read full venue reviewTransport Earl's Court
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