Sir Barrington Ganch: My Life Is Art

Review by Ben Judge | 21 Aug 2008

The funniest thing about Sir Barrington Ganch: My Life is Art is the promtional poster. As far as advertisements go, however it is not an accurate one as the production itself offers few laughs.

Making an assessment based on this opening summary alone, though, is to do Sir Barrington Ganch... a huge disservice. Despite advertising to the contrary—this is not a comedy. Rather it is a hugely compassionate theatrical monologue about the loneliness that follows the on-set of old age.

Sir Barrington Ganch is a newly-retired actor, meandering around his large and largely empty stately home and it is in his drawing room, over glass of Remy Martin brandy, that he relays his life story.

This is a tale, ultimately, of quiet personal tragedy, the loss of loved ones and the regret of past mistakes. Sir Barrington Ganch... is an effective, affecting production that is full of genuine emotion. Perhaps actor Jez Fielder spent extensive research time with a particularly talkative older relative as there are moments when the tale crosses the line between "accurately realised" and "rather boring". However the effect is not entirely negative; heightening, as it does, the sense of authenticity and making Ganch's recollections all the more heartbreaking.

There is a feeling, though, that the theatrical value of Sir Barrington Ganch is largely unintentional, that its poignancy was created almost entirely accidentally. That said, despite the journey, the destination remains the same.