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A Letter of Resignation, Poulner Players, Poulner Church Hall.

ANYONE who was around in the 1960s almost certainly remembers the Profumo Affair, in which a politician’s affair with a call girl who was in turn sleeping with a Russian spy almost brought down the government.

Hugh Whitemore’s play looks not only at this subject, but also how it affected Prime Minister Harold MacMillan, whose planned way of dealing with it was coloured by his wife’s long-standing affair with a fellow politician.

This marvellous production, directed by John Turpin and played semi in-the-round, was absolutely riveting. Set in MacMillan’s Scottish castle retreat, a combination of excellent lighting effects, superb props, heavy drawn curtains and marvellous costumes made it easy to believe that the Highlands were just outside the door.

And I can’t praise the cast highly enough. Faced with an extremely wordy script they performed as if they had been speaking these words all their lives. Peter Ansell, giving a real tour-de-force as Harold MacMillan, was highly believable as a man not entirely in touch with reality. Steven Russell (Private Secretary) and Steven Reynolds (MI5 Officer) also gave extremely impressive performances, as did Sally Whyte, who was outstanding as Lady Dorothy MacMillan.

The cast was completed by Sylvia Hogg as Housekeeper Mrs Brennan.

Linda Kirkman

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