Before the play begins, a tiny LNER InterCity zips across the stage, drawing our eyes from one side to the other. Miniatures fascinate, and this train reminds us of their appeal. When we meet the old boys of the Market Deeping model railway club, celebrating a second victory in Stamford's regional exhibition, we are immediately sympathetic to their niche hobby. Yes, it may be eccentric to spend years perfecting an OO scale motive power depot, but look at the detail and gasp!
A Comedy Inspired by Real-Life Vandalism
William Ivory's comedy is inspired by a traumatic incident in 2019, when four youths broke into the school hall at Welland Academy and trashed a model railway exhibition for a laugh. Blending the camaraderie of Calendar Girls with the dodderiness of Dad's Army, the playwright makes no secret of the men's nerdy obsession. However, he establishes their quiet dedication in a way that highlights the life-shattering impact of the vandalism.
To add gravitas to the character comedy, Ivory sets the story in its Brexit context, with Theresa May resigning and Boris Johnson promising to take back control. Where should these enthusiasts, whose motto is 'Pullmans not politics', draw the line between nostalgia for steam engines and suspicion of foreigners? If building a replica railway feels peculiarly British, a quirky throwback to a Boy's Own past, what chance is there of ushering in modernity to this Lincolnshire market town?
An Excellent Cast Brings the Characters to Life
If the argument is too weighty for this gentle tale to carry, the excellent cast never let it seem so. Under the direction of Adam Penford, the seven men, plus Lucy Briers as the put-upon club secretary and catalyst for their emotional articulacy, paint an endearing portrait of people bonding through a shared passion. Veteran performers all, they know how to land a joke, whether it is Adrian Scarborough as the chairman clinging rigidly to the rule book, Paul Bradley as the old-timer mixing up his meds, or Babatunde Aléshé as the new boy who faces blank stares when he explains they have gone viral on the socials.
A Gentle Pleasure at Nottingham Playhouse
The undulations are minor, but the play is an N gauge pleasure. At Nottingham Playhouse until 25 July.
