NEW YORK—Originally commissioned as a radio play and first broadcast in 1957, All That Fall, now at 59E59 Theaters, offers a quietly ironic and particularly poignant look at some of the burdens that come with the passage of time.
One morning in rural Ireland, Mrs. Rooney (Eileen Atkins), a woman in her 70s who struggles with rheumatism, leaves home for the nearby railway station where her husband, Dan (Michael Gambon), is expected to arrive on the 12:30 p.m. train.
On her journey she encounters several residents of the area. These include Christy (Ruairi Conaghan), a young man with a cart of dung; Mr. Tyler (Frank Grimes), an older fellow riding a bicycle, and Mr. Slocum (Trevor Cooper), a well-to-do-sort who offers Mrs. Rooney a lift in his motorcar only to quickly regret doing so.
After a serious of misadventures, caustic conversations, and not-so-quiet musings, Mrs. Rooney arrives at her destination to find the train unexpectedly delayed. With no explanation immediately forthcoming, she begins to fear the worst.
Containing more questions than answers, the script paints a picture of people who are, by and large, beaten down by the miseries of life.
These miseries are sometimes health-related, as those of Mr. Tyler, who bemoans the fact he is now without grandchildren due to a surgery his daughter has undergone; or they might be due to an unfortunate circumstance, as concerns Tommy (Billy Carter), a young man who works at the station with nary a kind word from anyone.
Mrs. Rooney and her husband themselves may have lost a child long ago; the circumstances surrounding this possibility are never made completely clear. Yet it is obvious the scars surrounding that incident have never really healed and continue to cast a long shadow over their lives.
The entire story could easily become quite maudlin, but fortunately Beckett tosses in more than a few moments of whimsy, which the performers and director Trevor Nunn are able to bring out when called for.
These moments include when the infirm Mrs. Rooney attempts to climb into Mr. Slocum’s car and his slow burn over the entire affair. Or what happens when one Miss Fitt (Catherine Cusack), tries to help Mrs. Rooney up a flight of stairs. Moments like these, played in all seriousness by the actors, work quite well, building on the premise that the audience is able to see the production, rather than only hear it.
Originally performed as a radio play, Mrs. Rooney is the only character featured from the first moment until the last, and she is prone to periods of pontification, either to herself or to those around her.
These musings allow Atkins to bring forth both the pathos and resigned humor of the character, as she notes she is now at the age where intimacy no longer has any significance for her, where life has become endless toil, and where modesty holds far less importance than it once did.
Atkins handles the role deftly throughout, making one want to know more of her character’s story, especially the parts that are only hinted at.
Gambon does well as Mr. Rooney, a thoroughly cantankerous old man, who is also blind. Like his wife, whom he almost mirrors at times in attitude and dependent resignation, Mr. Rooney is angry at the world and carries a great deal of pain inside. Also like his wife, he is also able to laugh at his own situation, at least up to a point.
The rest of the cast do well with their respective roles, though none are developed enough to really feel fully formed.
Nunn does good directorial work here, helping to bring to life several bits of business that were previously only imagined. He also helps by inserting various pregnant pauses to lengthen the play somewhat and break up the necessarily talkative script.
In keeping with the format of the work as it was originally staged, the play is set in an old-time radio station, with microphones hanging from the ceiling and the actors seated in chairs against the wall until it’s their turn to enter into the story.
The only major prop on stage is part of a car, which is used to great effect during Atkins’s scenes with Cooper. Nice work in that regard by designer Cherry Truluck.
Amusing at points, heart-wrenching in others, All That Fall is a quiet tale of rueful resignation of people in the twilight of their lives and those who find themselves heading in that direction before their time.
Also in the cast are James Hayes, Liam Thrift, and Jess Regan (voice only).
All That Fall
59E59 Theaters
59 East 59th Street
Tickets: 212-279-4200 or visit 59e59.org
Running Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Closes: Dec. 8
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication The Stage.
