REVIEW: TALKING HEADS @ WHITE BEAR THEATRE

🎭 Talking Heads

📍 White Bear Theatre, 138 Kennington Park Road, London, SE11 4DJ

🗓 Saturday 11th April 2026

⭐️ 3 Stars

SOLDIERING ON... LITERALLY

There's something about an Alan Bennett monologue that feels like slipping into a pair of slightly scratchy, but ultimately comforting, woollen socks. His TALKING HEADS series is the gold standard of the confessional style - ordinary folk nattering away while accidentally peeling back the layers of their own tragedies. For this run at the White Bear Theatre, we were treated to two of the heavy hitters: HER BIG CHANCE and SOLDIERING ON.

The first thing that hits you is the staging. Everything, and I do mean everything, was draped in white chiffon. Even the curtains, which were pulled open at the start and closed at the end by the characters themselves, were made of the stuff. It sounds like a small detail, but it framed the evening in this soft, ethereal sort of bubble.

The night kicked off with HER BIG CHANCE, and honestly, everything just clicked. Georgie Rodgers stepped into the shoes of Lesley, and she was nothing short of compelling. What tickled me the most was how much her performance echoed the great Patricia Routledge - specifically her turn as Kitty in As Seen on TV. It was all in the rhythm of the speech and those sharp facial expressions.

Whether intentional or not, it was a lovely nod. Especially considering that Bennett famously wrote many of these with Routledge in mind. Rodgers even leaned into a bit of Hyacinth Bucket (sorry, Bouquet!) energy, complete with that iconic white slimline telephone on the stage! Despite the character's constant self-contradictions, Rodgers remained succinct and wonderfully witty. Here, the white chiffon felt like the perfect metaphor for Lesley's brand of naive innocence.

Sadly, the vibe shifted after the interval which, if I'm honest, felt a bit unnecessary for two 40 minute pieces.

When we moved into SOLDIERING ON, the chiffon staging started to feel at odds with the material. This is a much darker story, and while Rowena Bentley's Muriel was dressed in a sombre black, the airy white set just didn't ground the piece the way it needed to.

Bentley clearly has a deep, reflective handle on Muriel's character, but the flow was hampered by a recurring issue with the lines. I counted 8 prompts in total. Now, I'm not a monster and these monologues are notoriously wordy mountains to climb, but by the final performance of the run, you really expect those lines to be locked in. Sitting in the darkness I was rooting for her to keep the momentum and willing her to do well, but the frequent breaks in delivery meant I just couldn't stay fully immersed in Muriel's world. I applaud her for keeping true to the monologues' title and "soldiering on".

A quick shout-out to Emily Oulton's direction though. The White Bear's L-shaped seating could easily be a nightmare for blocking, but the staging here ensured no one felt left out of the loop. It felt intimate and inclusive, which is exactly what Bennett needs.

So overall it was a night of two halves. One that soared with nostalgic wit, and one that just couldn't quite find its footing against the furniture.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of Talking Heads was gifted by the production team who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

CAST LIST:

Georgie Rodgers; Rowena Bentley

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 30 minutes, including interval

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