DO NOT miss this excellent stage production of one of J.B. Priestley’s famous time plays. Few actors could have been better cast, either for the characters they portray, or the performances they deliver. It truly is ‘edge of your seat’ stuff. Nottingham Topper
a powerful performance from Robin Kingsland Metro
a rarely seen gem Nottingham Hospitals Radio
if you like your mysteries mind-bending, this might be the one for you BBC Nottingham online
David Acton: enigmatic and rather endearingly odd BBC Nottingham online
A strong performance from Penelope Woodman Derby Evening Telegraph
Robin Kingsland: dynamicThe Stage
fascinating stuff The Times
David Acton: extremely good The Times
Aoibheann O’Hara: threatens to steal the play Nottingham Evening Post
captivating ... the cast are excellent ... intriguing Derby Evening Telegraph
a nice piece of nostalgia ... its message is ever fresh. It is billed as a thriller/mystery and so it is ... a strong cast of contrasting personalities ... well worth it. Theatreworld internet magazine
Review by Olivia Hinde (09-May-07) [ Young Critics' Circle Review ]
Giles Croft’s version of ‘I have been here before’ presented at the Nottingham Playhouse was a lengthy but an entertaining play through its mysterious storyline.
The play is about three guests seeking a weekend’s refuge at the Black Bull Inn, high on the Yorkshire moors. The industrialist Walter Ormund (Robert Kingsland) is wealthy but a workaholic, his younger wife Janet (Aoibheann O’hara) hopes to bridge the growing distance between them. Oliver Farrant (Sam Talbot), a young school head, is recovering from tiredness. The arrival of the mysterious German refugee, Mr Gortler (David Acton) introduces the main plot of the play as he arrives in suspicion at the Inn knowing everything about the three characters, spooking Sally (Penelope Woodman), the owner of the Inn.
There is a sudden, unexpected love plot in the play between Oliver and Janet. The failing relationship between Janet and Walter is strongly believable through the silence and the separation between them on stage.
The set design of the plain, old fashioned Inn captured the 1930’s theme of old chairs and desks in the living room. The entrance to the inn looked believable through the blue background painted outside to give an outdoor environment. The set could have added more to the atmosphere than seeing more than just the living room.
The strongest actor being Robert Kingsland playing Walter, with his hard-working lifestyle often taken to his drink, made the audience see the loneliness in his character and need for help.
The best moment in the play is when Mr Gortler arrives creating suspicion, with his smartly dressed character questioning whether the guests were there that he wanted to be.
The accent of the german, Mr Gortler was well sustained and added to the mystery of the piece. The Yorkshire accents were not quite believable of the owners of the inn which weakened the performance.
I would recommend seeing this play if you don’t mind sitting down a long time. The play, working on a mystery did not achieve its full potential as a Priestley thriller but it was most enjoyable at parts and the old fashioned play could capture many people’s interests.
Review by Charlotte Tomlinson (08-May-07) [ Young Critics' Circle Review ]
The latest play to be staged at the Nottingham Playhouse is J.B Priestley’s mystery thriller I Have Been Here Before. This production, directed by Giles Croft, stays very true to the script, and I imagine is little different to how it would have first appeared in 1937, when the play made its debut.
The plot centres around unhappily married couple Walter and Janet Ormund, and a young head teacher, Oliver Farrant, who have all sought refuge at the Black Bull Inn for the weekend. The arrival of the mysterious Dr. Gortler, who appears to know a disconcerting amount about these three strangers, throws the Inn into turmoil. The intervention of Dr. Gortler, who somehow seems to know what is going to happen to the trio, allows them to reshape their otherwise tragic futures.
Overall, the play was very well-acted, though not without the occasional slip-up in diction. Robin Kingsland as the troubled Walter seemed to capture the essence of his character perfectly- depicting a careful balance between aggression and vulnerability. Despite the complicated concept at the heart of the plot, I did not find this production impossible to follow or particularly confusing. And, though there were a few duller moments in the play, it generally kept the attention, especially the more dramatic final scenes. Nevertheless, as a mystery thriller, I did expect more of a suspenseful, exciting atmosphere, but here I feel it was slightly lacking.
Review by Elli Andrews (08-May-07) [ Young Critics' Circle Review ]
Ever had that feeling that you’ve been in the same situation before? Experienced déjà vu? The philosophy explored in J B Priestley’s play is one that we relive our lives over and over again after we die. But as the character of Dr Görtler
explains, it is not an endless loop but a spiral where small choices can be changed, and if you have the knowledge of what can happen next, larger more important factors can force events to end differently.
The audience walked into an eerie atmosphere as they entered the auditorium, with the house lights lower than usual and odd music, notes and chimes playing under echoes and whispers. The set was designed well, in a slightly abstract fashion, with the outside being portrayed inside by the painted walls to look like sky and hills. The lighting complimented this and the use of a moon rising and waxing in the third act slowly throughout the dialogue represented the rising tensions. The use of projection of clouds to show the passage of time was another effective use of the set. The furniture and stairs were well constructed giving the appearance of a rather claustrophobic room as tensions ran higher. The sound effects were also used to good effect with chimes to indicate a moment of déjà vu.
The acting was superb with Robin Kingsland giving the part his all and so emotionally portraying a man trying desperately to understand something he does not believe in. David Acton as Dr Görtler reminded many who have studied it of the Inspector out of Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’ – another one of his ‘Time plays.’ The whole play was interesting and kept the audience engaged at all times – something which is sometimes harder to do with period pieces full of dialogue and unsaid thoughts. Giles Croft the director chose not to change any of it apart from a few words and a slight addition to the ending which again worked well. In some places the acting became a little over the top but it was necessary to keep the tone of the piece.
Overall a good production to come and watch and I’d recommend it to anyone to enjoy a night at the theatre.
Response by Naomi Foster (08-May-07) [ Young Critics' Circle Review ]
Time
Tick
Life comes but once so it seems,
Unless we listen to our strangest dreams,
Each moment passes, each hour is gone,
But is it for ever, or does the cycle go on?
Tock
Blink once and the image might last,
Blink twice and our time is passed,
Sometimes we think that we have come far,
But never realise how fragile things are.
Tick
Time waits for none of us,
Just goes on, so go on we must,
Time questions nothing we do,
But leads us still to question anew.
Tock
Never turning back, onward time goes,
But where it leads, no one yet knows,
How often do we wish we could choose?
But playing the game, someone must lose.
Tick
We dream of changing our now and our then,
But what would we do with our time again?
And when we know the mistakes made before,
How would we choose the other door?
Tock
Is it chimes we hear on the wind?
What has concluded, or what will begin?
Or are start and finish really the same?
What if you had your time again?
Tick
Tock
Tick
Tock
Tick
Review by Caroline Jones (08-May-07) [ Young Critics' Circle Review ]
The work of a much loved and highly popular playwright has graced the Nottingham Playhouse stage this season, but whether J. B Priestley’s I Have Been Here Before was the best choice of production is open to debate.
Famously known as one of Priestley’s "Time Plays", I Have Been Here Before explores the theories of Russian mathematician Ouspensky – the idea that time is cyclical and events are subject to "eternal recurrence" – automatically telling the audience that the play will not be easy-going.
But it is not the worry of a complicated plot line that might put an audience off – the slow moving story and the somewhat sedate conclusion will no doubt be responsible as well.
The play is presented in three acts, with the majority of the action taking place in the final section. The rest of the production seems dedicated to creating tension – an aim that is only partially successful.
The story takes place in an inn high on the Yorkshire moors, where it becomes apparent that the lives of three characters staying there, married couple Walter and Janet Ormund and school master Oliver Farrant, are intertwined and vitally dependent on each other.
It is the arrival of a German guest known as Dr Görtler that sets things into motion, with this mysterious character seeming to know far too much about these three people to be true.
For those who have seen An Inspector Calls or Dangerous Corner, also by Priestley, I Have Been Here Before follows the typical style and conventions of his writing. Unlike them, however, it does not prompt the usual audience afterthought that is so familiar with his works.
While most of this can be put down to the play itself, some of the blame can be apportioned onto the cast. The articulation of the performers was not always at its best, and at some moments the acting seemed too much over the top.
This was not the case for the whole production though, with both Robert Kingsland and David Acton doing their characters justice, playing Walter Ormund and Dr Görtler respectively.
As a whole, I Have Been Here Before is an interesting play with some usual and unique ideas, but this does not make up for the lack of tension and suspense that are required to carry the production to a successful climax. Whether this is due to the play itself or the cast is up to the audience to decide.
Review by Jess Royce (08-May-07) [ Young Critics' Circle Review ]
Being a fan of J.B Priestley plays and having played Ruby Birtle in his When We Are Married myself, I was quite looking forward to seeing I Have Been Here Before, one of his plays I had not encountered previously. I was also intrigued to see yet another play directed by the very talented Giles Croft.
I Have Been Here Before, raises some strange issues in which J.B Priestly himself drew on from a Russian man named Oupensky, who believed that we as humans relive our lives over and over again. When Dr Görtler, a German refugee, played by David Acton, arrives at The Black Bull Inn of Sally Pratt and Sam Shipley in the Yorkshire Moors, he is puzzled by the familiarities of the place and the people around him.
The play then revolves around the premonitions of Dr Görtler, after two more guests arrive at the Inn, Mr and Mrs Ormund, played by Robert Kingsland and Aoibheann O’Hara. Added in to this strange occurrence is the presence of a current guest at the Inn, Oliver Farrant whose acting by Sam Talbot was faultless. Farrant’s meeting with Janet Ormund causes a certain discomfort, a déjà vu for the confused pair which later unfolds.
Set in a room at the Black Bull Inn, the stage worked well, both for the actors who moved around it and for the audience. It was simple, so not to draw too much attention away from the acting, but well designed with the skyline of the Yorkshire Moors painted around the room. I felt that this simplicity of the set enhanced the play and drew out the best of the actors.
The characterisation from all the characters was superb, with several different accents being held strongly throughout. However, O’Hara stole the show for me; the emotion that she portrayed through conversation with all the different characters was excellent. Another character that shone for me was Walter Ormund, played by Robin Kingsland. The development of his character throughout the play was fantastic, from the very strict businessman that entered the Inn, to a very confused and ill minded man towards the end of the play. Other faultless performances were those of Penny Woodman and Robert Austin.
There were many moments that I enjoyed in the play. I liked the slight touch of humour added to parts of the play, mainly from Dr Görtler, especially the cover up of his forgotten line, which he continued to sustain a German accent. A poignant moment for me was the sudden unfolding of Oliver and Janet’s love for each other, when they suddenly embraced and kissed. The gradual reveal of the moon in the clouds was also a nice touch that captured the mood of the piece.
Overall, I did enjoy the play, although a little slow starting it evoked a good reaction from the audience members. During the interval I heard people behind me, questioning whether they had been there before, which I found quite amusing. A very successful play, directed well by Giles Croft and helped by J.B Priestley’s brilliant script.
Review by Lara Newton (08-May-07) [ Young Critics' Circle Review ]
A little slow to start but thoroughly moving at times, this Priestley play (directed by Giles Croft), based round the concept of time and dimensions was well received at the Nottingham Playhouse.
The intriguing dialogue discussing time and the concepts of whether man is in control of his own life was well acted and had me truly gripped. I was particularly impressed by David Acton’s performance as Dr Gortler who, despite forgetting his lines at one point recovered well and gave the play a feeling of mystery and a sense of the ‘unknown’. Similarly he maintained a realistic German accent which was more accurate and believable than others which featured in the play, namely Penelope Woodman’s rather melodramatic portrayal of the Yorkshire accent which I felt was a little unnatural and exaggerated.
Commendations to all the actors for creating a convincing atmosphere on stage that showed how at times they literally felt they have ‘been there before’. Sustained inquisitive eye contact with objects and other characters was subtle in showing these experiences of déjà vu, and I thoroughly enjoyed observing the progression of disturbances each character experienced over their life changing weekend away in Yorkshire.
The set ideally fitted the needs of the play as Helen Fownes-Davies created the interior of the remote Yorkshire ‘Black Bull Inn’ using naturalistic furnishings. It was also clever as the moor land surroundings of the lodge were reflected by a soft painted pastel landscape covering all three of the interior walls. This was unobtrusive and worked well as a backdrop for the characters discussions on the process of the life cycle and on their own existence.
For a play known a being "a classic Priestly thriller" this production left a little to be desired as I did not feel a great sense of tension or anticipation as the play progressed. But this is not to say it wasn’t interesting and enjoyable, as I could marvel at the quality of acting and appreciate Croft’s directing. The performance on a whole posed some interesting questions about life, time and our own existence. I enjoyed the exploration of these concepts and would recommend the production to those philosophically minded.
