Review by Paul Towers, 3/1/25
The Breath of Life by David Hare
Directed by Ruth Cheetham
Produced by Leicester Drama Society
At The Little Theatre til Saturday 8th February 2025
David Hare’s powerful two-hander is a tour-de-force for the pair of actresses who play the wife (Angela Hill) Francis and mistress (Liz Kavanagh) Madeleine of absent lothario Martin Beale who has decamped to America with a ditzy blonde.
Francis has only recently found out about Madeleine and turns up on her doorstep wanting to find some sort of closure on her failed marriage. While both women are in their sixties it turns out they have both been in Martin’s life for more than 40 years.
Over the course of a day and night the two women talk and sometimes scream at each other while they attempt to untangle their emotions both towards Martin and each other.
While this may seem, on the face of it, an emotionally heavy piece of theatre it is sprinkled with some laugh-out-loud moments to alleviate the atmosphere.
A beautiful set by Nadine Hall invokes the Isle of Wight seafront that Madeleine has retired to.
The Breath of Life runs until Saturday 8th February.
Pics: Sally Evans
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