Shaw Festival 2008 – Terence Rattigan’s After the Dance

Paula Citron
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After the Dance
Shaw Festival 2008
Written by Terence Rattigan
Directed by Christopher Newton
Starring Patrick Galligan, Deborah Hay, Marla McLean, Neil Barclay and Ken James Stewart
At the Royal George Theatre until Oct. 5
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After the Dance is another well-made play the Shaw Festival unearths for a second coming. The author is Terence Rattigan who in his day was an acclaimed British playwright. Former Shaw artistic director Christopher Newton has given After the Dance a thoughtful staging, while William Schmuck’s Mayfair set is gorgeous.

The play was written just before World War 2 and looks at a group of aging Bright Young Things. At the centre is a writer who drinks and parties too much, and his seemingly contented wife who parties right along with him. Everything starts to go downhill when the writer falls in love with a sober young woman with a strong moral compass.

The cast is excellent with Patrick Galligan and Deborah Hay as the couple and Marla McLean as the young woman. Neil Barclay does one of his great character turns as the wayward friend.

After the Dance continues at the Royal George Theatre until Oct. 5.