Edward Alderton Theatre Home | News | This Season | Next Season | Bookings | Auditions | Members | Archive | History | Location | Links | Contact Us   Quartermaine's Terms by Simon Gray Directed by Mike Higginson 30 June - 7 July 2001 (7 performances) Set in the early 1960s at the Cull-Loomis School of English for Foreigners in Cambridge, the play follows a band of idiosyncratic teachers and the amiable central character, St. John Quartermaine, who is more engrossed in his academic life than the goings on around him... Cast St John Quatermaine Tony Donnelly Anita Manchip Allison Henderson Mark Sackling Paul Lay Eddie Loomis Peter Gray Derek Meadle Michael Martin Henry Windscape Ian Saxton Melanie Garth Sue Higginson Crew Stage Manager Jenny Devonshire Assistant Stage Manager Roz Betts Set Design  Mike Higginson Set Construction Mike Higginson, Colin Rayment, Carol La Roche Backstage Helen Bezer Lighting Design Bernard Tilley Lighting Operation Matthew Arnold, Jerry McKeon Sound Keith Dungate Review Fascinating interaction One of the classic scenarios in drama is when a playwright brings a group of apparently ordinary people together in a very ordinary environment and then, slowly but surely, strips away their facades to reveal their true personalities. It's a well-worn device and it can produce fascinating results. That's certainly the case in Simon Gray's Quartermaine 's Terms, first produced in 1981 and later voted one of the most significant 100 plays of the century in a Royal National Theatre poll. The reason for this accolade became very obvious last week when the play was given a welcome and superbly acted revival at Bexleyheath's Edward Alderton Theatre. The play is set in the staff room of a school where English is taught to foreign students. Eddie, the co-principal, was portrayed by Peter Gray, while the teaching staff were played by Allison Henderson, Paul Lay, Michael Martin, Ian Saxton, Sue Higginson and Tony Donnelly. All the actors created fascinating characters and their interaction with each other was excellent. Spread across a three year period, the drama depicts problems in personal relationships, frustrated ambitions and even a hint of cold-blooded murder, all cleverly conveyed with subtle changes of expression that belied the general air of normality. The sudden fainting fit experienced by Paul Lay's character and Michael Martin's portrayal of an unusually accident-prone young teacher were achieved with a strong sense of realism. But it was Tony Donnelly's remarkable creation of a lonely, middle-aged, charming and unworldly bachelor that provided the pivotal focus for the drama. His was a perfectly judged performance, delightful to watch, and poignant in its portrait of a gentle man reaching the end of his useful life. Director Mike Higginson brought exactly the right pace and balance to the production and his set design was flawless. Roy Atterbury Kentish Times | 13 July 2001