I assumed That's Love, the new production at The Mill at Sonning, would be a frothy piece of rom-com', a pleasant enough way to while away the evening. But, in fact, it turned out to be so much more. It is indeed a delightful blend of romance and comedy but it is also a lively musical and a bitter-sweet tale of love denied and redeemed. All very unexpected and satisfying, thanks to the writer, Ron Aldridge.
It revolves around the star-crossed affections of the Frank Daniels Trio, who comprised husband Frank and wife Sarah, plus one other - the jokey and exciting Tony. The back story is that the trio split (probably because the husband suspected the other two were in love) and went their separate ways. The action moves to the present day, Tony is now terminally ill, though still dashing, prompting Sarah and her grumpy and unwilling husband to see him. This meeting rekindles many old passions, and the realisation that it is never too late to find happiness. We - and they - look back on their younger selves through a series of vignettes beautifully performed by Jonathan Niton (young Tony), Monica Nowak (young Sarah) and Simon Turner (young Frank), which also provide an excellent sequence of song and dance classics.
Nicolas Ball is terrific as Tony. His jokey charisma is very engaging and, in contrast, his more solemn moments are very moving. His young counterpart, Jonathan Niton, matches this perfectly with some great stand-up comedy. Rula Lenska is as elegant and beautiful as you could wish for. Her role as Sarah requires great tenderness and she delivers this perfectly. Alan Rothwell as the bad-tempered Frank is a perfect foil for these two - his performance adds much to the depth of the piece - his hurt is palpable in some scenes.
But ultimately this is a feel-good show - full of pace, music and love - and its resounding message, "It's never too late for love", was one to cheer.
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