Christopher Luscombe s revival certainly oozes quality, not least in Colin Falconer s richly detaile

There s a strange disconnect at the heart of Travels with my Aunt which means it never really ignites the comic potential it possesses. Giles Havergal s adaptation of Graham Greene s 1969 novel sees four actors cover a multitude travel reservations of characters and a globe-trotting range of locations in a free-wheeling narrative which commences with retired bank manager Henry Pulling being reunited with his long-lost Aunt Augusta at his mother s funeral. But the adventures that follow have a dated feel to them with a distinctly not-quite-post-colonial flavour and the presentational style also has a measured quality which only intermittently embraces the carefree spirit of the story.
There s fun to be had though, as Henry falls deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole opened by his aunt and they ricochet from the depths of suburbia to Turkey, Paraguay and more and he gradually becomes more accustomed to the new excitements of his life, which had previously been limited to growing dahlias in his back garden. The actors share the roles as well as sharing them out so Greene s richly evocative writing is constantly changing mouthpiece as all of them take turns in playing Henry, as well as the colourful cast of characters that pop up along the journey.
David Bamber just about wins on points as the most compelling version of Henry but also brings a lightness to a range of female characters and Gregory Gudgeon demonstrates huge variety and versatility covering a multitude of tiny parts, the postman being one of the wryly funniest. But in among the turns are slightly more questionable decisions. Jonathan Hyde s Aunt Augusta is undoubtedly amusing but his style of female impersonation feels something of an anachronism travel reservations in this day and age and Iain Mitchell has to tread a slightly dubious line as her Sierra Leonean manservant and lover Wordsworth.
Christopher Luscombe s revival certainly oozes quality, not least in Colin Falconer s richly detailed set design with its railway destination board which effectively locates the fast-moving travel reservations action, and the experienced cast who display their skills with panache despite initially looking like a row of blandly grey motor traders insurance salesmen. But it rarely makes an effective case for this being a play worthy of such attention. It is old-fashioned due to its very nature but the problem is it feels old-fashioned too its antiquated attitudes, the construction that loses its comic spark at the expense of predictable twists, an overall atmosphere of dated quaintness albeit strongly performed.
I write reviews of plays, sometimes with a critical element, on this blog. But call me a reviewer, a critic or a blogger, and you will apparently put someone or other's nose out of joint! So take it or leave it, essentially this is my theatrical diary, recording everything I go to see at the theatre in London and beyond, and venturing a little into the worlds of music and film/tv where theatrical connections can be made. Top 25 of 2012 1. My Fair Lady 2. Lungs 3. Constellations 4. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time 5. Long Day's Journey Into Night 6. 'Tis Pity She's A Whore 7. Hello, Dolly! 8. A Doll's House 9. The Busy Body 10. Straight 11. Merrily We Roll Along 12. The Effect 13. Twelfth Night (Propeller) 14. Boy Meets Boy 15. The Last of the Haussmans travel reservations 16. Someone Who'll Watch Over Me 17. Swallows and Amazons 18. The River 19. In Basildon 20. Uncle Vanya (Print Room) 21. Victor/Victoria travel reservations 22. The Winter's travel reservations Tale (Propeller) 23. Elegy 24. A Midsummer Night's Dream (Open Air) 25. Lost In Yonkers Top 25 of 2011 1. Matilda, a musical 2. London Road 3. The Tempest (Cheek By Jowl) 4. Singin' in the Rain 5. The Comedy of Errors (Propeller) 6. The Kitchen Sink 7. Company (Crucible) 8. Flare Path 9. Ecstasy 10. For Once 11. Sweeney Todd 12. Many Moons 13. Reasons to be Pretty 14. Anna Christie 15. Much Ado About Nothing (Globe) 16. The Pitmen Painters 17. 13 18. Ragtime 19. The Village Bike 20. Di and Viv and Rose 21. The Hired Man 22. Noises Off 23. Perchance travel reservations to Dream 24. Me and My Girl 25. Parade Top 10 of 2010 1. Tribes 2. You Me Bum Bum Train 3. Palace of the End 4. Love Love Love 5. After the Dance 6. Once Upon A Time at the Adelphi 7. Love Story 8. Les Mis é rables (Barbican) 9. All My Sons 10. Nevermore Top 10 of 2009 1. The Roman Tragedies 2. Our Class 3. When The Rain Stops Falling 4. Hello, Dolly! 5. La Cage Aux Folles 6. A Streetcar Named Desire 7. Arcadia 8. Enron 9. Sweet Charity 10. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert