REVIEW: CARELESS TALK, Camden Fringe at Rosemary Branch Theatre 7-9 Aug 2024

“Dead, I’d be famous.” ★★★★

“Careless Talk” tells the fascinating true(ish) tale of Mabel Bancroft, a woman who ran a hotel on the Isle of Wight and was arrested for treason during WWII. Aside from her suspected German spy status, she was also a daughter, wife and landlady with a flair for the dramatic and a propensity for lying to relieve the tedium of her life.

Despite having an indomitable spirit and whimsical wit, Mabel’s tendency to wilfully ignore world issues unless they directly affected her, such as the war, and treat them with irreverence e.g. calling her dog Hitler and complaining that her husband should be tending to their garden not on Fire Guard duty, cast her as a selfishly apathetic character. However, it's difficult not to admire her resilience and unfailing ability to find humour in any situation, even when facing the death penalty for false accusations of treason, which made her story compelling.

This one-woman show is superbly acted by Ali Williams, who effortlessly embodies all the characters in a tour de force performance, displaying a range of accents and mannerisms at a heady pace, with great skill and vitality.

Adapted from a novel by James Friel, the writing is warm, witty and energetic, and can turn, startlingly and unexpectedly poetical, such as when Mabel expresses her abiding love of the sea and its power to soothe her.

“Careless Talk” is a cross between a wonderfully observed Victoria Wood sketch of everyday life and an episode of “Dad’s Army”. With a fondness and reverence for its subject matter and a versatile actress in the lead, this is a show you won’t want to miss.

CARELESS TALK adapted by Ali Williams

Presented by Big Blue Stories

Rosemary Branch Theatre

7-9 Aug

Box Office: https://www.camdenfringe.com/events/careless-talk/

Big Blue Stories: https://www.bigbluestories.co.uk

Annie Power is the Artistic Director of Open Page Productions, and an award-winning writer and producer.