29 July 2016. The deep blue sea at the NT

This power drama by Terrence Rattigan had, as its star, Helen McCrory, playing the part of Hester. She is middle-aged and broken by the faithlessness of her great passion, Freddie, the test-pilot for whom she left her husband. The play opens with her being found by neighbours, having attempted to gas herself. The actors who played the neighbours evoked their characters brilliantly. They both came across as naive and rather self-satisfied in their relationship, with her on the verge of giving birth. They served as an excellent marker for the starting point of a relationship. Then we have McCrory and her two men showing how things might turn out.

The triangle was the oft-repeated one of a woman leaving her steady and devoted (still) husband for a rotter. As such, I'm not sure I got a lot out of it. However, the acting was brilliant and I really liked the other characters - the young couple; the nosy landlady; and the struck-off doctor. The set was also excellent, reproducing a block of flats and using gauze so that one could see through the walls.