4 STARS ****
First Do No Harm is a poignant play inspired by true events months before the start of the First World War. Harold and Maud Leggett, a London doctor and his wife come to The Fens on the heels of Lloyd George’s reforms and their lives are forever turned upside down.
With only 4 actors playing a number of roles, Howard Scott Walker (Dr Ridgeway, the traditional doctor in charge of the local surgery) in particular deserves recognition. The flawlessness with which he slipped between characters, making all of them very distinctive and individually emotive, makes him an exceptional actor.
Miriam Edwards as Maud Leggett also provided a vibrant and lively portrayal of a suffragette struggling to keep her husband and herself afloat in the backwards town in The Fens. Her best acting moments came in one of the final scenes with Mrs Ridgeway; her outburst struck at the hearts of the audience.
The lack of an anti-climax left me a little cold; Dr Leggett’s final letter did not fill me with the emotion that I felt it should have, which meant that the following scenes did not have the desired impact.
The simplistic nature of the scenery had its pros and cons; whilst cleverly set out, occasionally it did seem difficult to understand when the scene had moved on and the new location. However, the actors used the space brilliantly and made up for this.
The narrator, an aged Mrs Ridgeway, was both a hit and a miss. Appearing onstage and ambling around with what appeared to be a smile on her face despite the serious nature of the scenes, it was difficult to gauge her reaction to the events. That being said, without her, the play would’ve been missing something important.
Aside from the bits of tweaking needed, it was overall a moving piece of work with outstanding actors, a heart-rending plot and thought-provoking historical commentary on the future National Health Service.
Edited by Harriet Dunlea.
Image source: http://newtheatre.org.uk/whats-on/past-shows/