A small cast of actors take to one of Tennessee Williams’ most rarely performed plays as it hits the Charing Cross Theatre for a limited run this Autumn.

Dying four time widow Flora “Sissi” Gosforth played by veteran performer Linda Marlowe, isolates herself atop her mountain with secretary Blackie (Lucie Shorthouse) at her beck and call. In denial over her imminent doom, she pills herself up and drinks herself silly in her swanky Italian villa. To her surprise, ageing pretty boy and professional layabout Christopher Flounders (Sanee Raval) comes to climb her mountain. Sadly though, as revealed by award winning Sara Kestelman’s Witch of Capri, Flounders is known to some as The Angel of Death. 

Directed by Williams specialist Robert Chevara, The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore was written at time when Williams’ long time lover Frank Merlo was dying of lung cancer. The play is an ode to their love. In a pre-Stonewall society men couldn’t exactly declare their feelings for other men and so Williams wrote Milk Train to reflect the Merlo’s gradual passing. Noted as stabilising influence to Williams, this is apparent in the way that the characters fawn around Sissi, who is also succumbing to illness.

Linda Marlowe played the part of Sissi with all finesse, dictating her drink orders and anecdotes to the rest of the characters who ran around at her behest with eye rolls. Apart from the occasional accent slip that Southern drawl helped you envision the character Sissi as a privileged older lady, drink in hand and staring out over the Italian countryside as her days slowly dwindle down. 

There were some quick witted one liners and quips that deserved the ripple of a throaty chuckle from across the audience. At times though, the plot was a tad hard to follow, particularly in the first half. Occasionally it did feel that after dialogue that dragged for days, the cast would saunter across the stage to do it all again. And repeat.  

Perhaps the design of the Charing Cross Theatre itself, with the stage sandwiched between two adjacent sets of stalls was a distraction. Where usually you would look upon a backdrop of a stage, your gaze cut over the play to watch the audience opposite, not quite the night of people watching you were expecting. 

The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore is showing on a limited run for just 32 performances from 26th September – 22nd October. 

Love a bit of theatre? Check out our previous West End reviews here.
See Tennessee Williams’ The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore here