REVIEW: THE DEEP BLUE SEA by Terence Rattigan at Theatre Royal Haymarket until 21 June 2025

‘Accomplished revival’ ★★★★

Rattigan’s 1952 play is set a year earlier and has been revived many times. In this production the peeling wallpaper and shabby furniture (set by Peter McKintosh) plunges us immediately into 1950s austerity in an unfashionable part of London.

Hester (Tamsin Grieg, reprising her role from the production at Theatre Royal, Bath last year) is deeply troubled. She has left the wealthy husband, now a judge (Nicholas Farrell) whom she can’t love for a younger, out-of-work former RAF pilot (Hadley Fraser) who is unreliable and unhappy. Thus she finds herself between the devil and the titular deep blue sea. The play’s famous opening presents Hester lying in front of the gas fire having attempted to take her own life before she is discovered by neighbours and the landlady.

Grieg finds all the dazed anxiety that her character needs, sometimes smiling superficially to cover her turmoil and when she screams and shouts it’s almost physically painful to listen to. Her emotional range is very impressive. There is also an outstanding performance from Finbar Lynch as the tight-lipped, struck off doctor who helps Hester. He is so ungiving -  until the very end of the play – that he’s hilarious. We are left wondering what he did to be jailed because he is clearly medically very competent. Rattigan’s original draft hinted at homosexuality but the play, as we now know it, leaves us to speculate. 

Farrell, as you’d expect, brings dignified angst to the ever reasonable Collyer, and Fraser excels as the hard drinking, rather tragic figure yearning for the unobtainable and unable to make Hester happy. There’s also a fine, nicely observed performance from Selina Cadell as the garrulous, nosey but well-meaning landlady.

It is however, the quality of the direction which really makes this production fly. Lindsay Posner knows, really knows, what he’s doing and the pregnant pauses are masterly as, repeatedly, one character says something and everyone else simply looks stunned, delighted, horrified, outraged or whatever as it sinks in before anyone else speaks. This often creates rueful, very effective, comedy which is not something one necessarily associates with this play. But it works perfectly.

It’s quite a treat to see theatre as accomplished as this.

THE DEEP BLUE SEA

by Terence Rattigan

Directed by Lindsay Posner

Theatre Royal Haymarket from Wednesday 7 May – Saturday 21 June 2025

Box Officewww.trh.co.uk

CAST

Tamsin Greig as Hester Collyer

Hadley Fraser as Freddie

Finbar Lynch as Miller

Nicolas Farrell as Sir William Collyer

Selina Cadell as Mrs Elton

Preston Nyman as Philip Welch

Lisa Ambalavanar as Ann Welch

Marc Elliott as Jackie Jackson

Photography: MANUEL HARLAN