Faith, Hope and Charity are
cardinal virtues in Christianity, and they are also the title of Alexander
Zeldin’s new play now showing at the Dorfman stage of the national Theatre in
London. Religion does not enter the play at all but there is indeed faith in
humanity. Hope in helping the poorest and charity with love and humility.
The play takes place in a soup kitchen where people go for a
meal and company. There is also a choir where the ability
to sing is optional.
The kitchen is run by Hazel
(Cecilia Noble) and Mason (Nick Holder), a middle-aged man who volunteers to
help and organize a choir. He is a former prisoner and knows what it means to
be down and out.
Cecilia Noble in Faith, Hope and Charity. Photo: Sarah Lee
The people who frequent the kitchen
have a lot in common. They are poor, of course, but they also come from broken
families, have emotional problems and are basically society’s forgotten. Tharwa
(Hind Swareldahab) does not speak English and comes regularly with her little
girl for some food. That is all we know about her and that is all we need to
know.
Susan Lynch as Beth has a
troubled teenaged son Marc (Bobby Smallwood) but has an even greater problem
she has a small daughter and there is a court hearing about her custody. Beth
is about to lose custody of her child. The moving story goes to the end of the
play as Beth desperately searches for help and looks for support from Mason and
Hazel.
There is Bernard (Alan Williams)
whose committed the crime of getting old, being forgetful and poor. We get a
few laughs from his conduct but there is nothing funny about his fate. He comes
to eat and wants to sing but can’t remember any of the lyrics.
Alan Williams in Faith, Hope and Charity. Photo: Sarah Lee
If the people who come for a meal
have problems so does the institution itself. The developers are trying to
evict Hazel and Mason and shut the whole thing down. Developers versus helping the
socially left out. Guess who wins?
The key characters are Hazel and
Mason. They come from broken homes and they are like the people for whom they
cook and jolly along every day. I will pay special tribute to their acting
because they manage to capture the spirit of the play. There is no preaching,
no charity just plain decency. The level of acting by the entire cast is
superb.
Not one of the visitors to the
kitchen is judged in this beautifully modulated and marvelously acted play. It
is a paean to basic humanity and decency. The faith of the title refers or
should refer to Hazel and Mason’s faith in humanity. The hope is what they
naturally engender in people who seem to have no hope. Charity? No, just plain
decency in a frequently if not fundamentally indecent society.
Zeldin also directs this
wonderful night at the theatre.
________________
Faith, Hope and Charity by Alexander Zeldin continues
until October 12, 2019 at the Dorfman stage of the National Theatre, South Bank,
London, England. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk.
James Karas is the Senior Editor - Culture of the Greek Press.
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