Hugh Janes - The Divider

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Leatherhead Advertiser, May 23 1985
At home with an odd couple
- THE intimate setting of the Casson Room at the Thorndike Theatre, Leatherhead, is perfectly suited to the current play, a new comedy, "The Divider," by Hugh Janes.
  It is a close-up look at an old people's home in which two very different personalities are required to share the same room.
  The newcomer, George, played by Alan White, is a neat, quiet, shy, former floorwalker at a department store who "deplores displays of emotion and thinks that . people's private lives should be their own business.
  The "sitting tenant" is Wally, a grubby, untidy, garrulous old sailer, fond of a drink, contemptous of the rules of the home, and quick' to both tears and laughter. He is played in endearingly over- the-top fashion by the always good value Peter Bayliss, who indeed carries the play.
  The two main players are backed by Muriel Barker as an excellently brisk matron, and veteran actress Freda Jackson as an old lady whose body may be giving up but whose spirit is as strong and vigorous as ever.
  Ah . .. Freda Jackson. A name to conjure with for those of us growing up after the second world war who were frightened to death by her portrayal of the evil landlady in "No Room at the Inn."Absolutely unforgettable.
  J.T

London Theatre Record, May 21 1985
Quite a hit
- Play publishers could do worse than look at Ihe Divider, Hugh Janes' delightful comedy of geriatric revolt, which was beautifully played at Leatherheads little Casson Room by a Cast that brought back the great Freda Jackson to the stage and would have been worth seeing for this alone. In fact the play had even more to offer, including a central role of substance for Peter Bayliss. The press don't seem to have caught it. which is a pity, but Bill Kenwright was there, so we may hope to hear more of what, with a little more work, could be quite a hit.

The Advertiser, May 24 1985
A fine performance
- WHEN home is a shared bedroom in an old people's establishment the vital ingredient would seem to be to have two residents who are compatible.
  Since that is rarely likely to be the case then a good deal of give and take must be forthcoming.
  George and Wally are brought together as a result of the death of Wallys' roommate of four years.' Wally, an ex-mariner, is so scruffy you would hesitate to sit next to him on the bus; George. who was employed in a .large department store all his life and rose to be a floor-walker is fastidiously tidy.
  They are drawn together in The Divider, a new comedy by 'Hugh Janes which opened at the Thorndike's Casson Room last Thursday. The writer's exploration of this particular odd couple produced a good deal of laughter, mostly at George's expense. Wally, the old reprobate, was a devious character from whom Peter Bayliss extracted much.
  We laughed a lot, but behind it all was the sadness felt by two men who were unlikely to come to terms with the thought of spending the rest of their lives in a home.
  George (Alan White) tried hard to work out a way of coexisting and his attempts at dividing the room, cupboards and drawers with sticky tape were pathetic. But then life in an old people's home is for so many a pathetic experience.
  Muriel Barker as the matron and the veteran Freda Jackson as 80-year-old May gave strong support to the main characters in a play which deserves to be seen by larger audiences, and which helps to bring a measure of understanding about life in an old people's home.
  Graham Collyer

~ Hugh Janes ~ writer ~ author ~ Playwright ~ Screenwriter ~ Plays ~ television ~ films ~ filmwriter ~ wide blue yonder ~ the haunting ~ two of a kind ~ the perfect murder ~ deadlock ~ master forger ~ a soldier's song ~ the complete ring of the nibelung