Dominic	John Covey
Amy	Kate Ogle
Evelyn	Julia Webb
Esme	Liz McNally
Frank	Bernard Taylor
Toby	Will Hammond

Setting

Act I          The living room of Esme (widow) in 1979.

Act Two     is the same but now six years later. 

Act Three     the same eight years later and

Act Four     a theatre dressing room in 1995.

Characters:

The ages depicted below are when the plays starts in Act 1 (except Toby who does not appear until Act 4) therefore all the characters bar Toby have to advance in age through play by about 16 years.

Dominic - early 20’s. He begins the play as a driven would –be film maker but quickly develops into a self-absorbed member of the media who places all behind his successful career. Strong independently willed man who has very critical views of live theatre which in his view is now outdated and overshadowed by the media of television. Boyfriend and in love with Amy. A key and challenging role.

Amy - daughter of leading actress Esme; slightly older than Dominic. Very much in love with him despite his faults. A playful repartee between the two paints a picture of a couple in love but we later learn that this relationship is more complicated than the first scene reveals.

Evelyn – Esme's mother and Amy’s grandmother. Early seventies. Quirky, caustic and interesting character who eventually drifts into dementia. Not many lines to learn but great stage presence required.

Esme - 49. Amy’s mother. Established West End actress which is evident whenever she appears on or off stage. Esme leads her life quite dramatically, caring little for practicalities. She is from a generation of artists who were able to make a  living in the theatre, back when the theatre had little competition from other forms of entertainment. A key and challenging role.

Frank -50’s. A broker for Lloyds of London, potential suitor of Esme, later taken into her confidence, investing her substantial inheritance from her husband. His unwise investments (for which he shows no remorse) lead to the financial ruin of Esme.

Toby - Early 20’s. Young, stage-struck actor, in awe of Esme.

Synopsis

The plot is driven by the ups and downs both of Amy's relationship with cynical media-man Dominic  and of Esme's career as an actress. Esme and Dominic do not see eye to eye and this provides the play's crucial point of conflict. Dominic's cultural iconoclasm meets Esme's conservatism head on in a heated debate on the value of theatre as opposed to television and film, of high and low art, of art and art-criticism. This exaggerated self-consciousness does not cloy, however, because the debates on theatre and art in general reflect perfectly the characters' attitudes to life, which they betray throughout the play.  In many ways, then, Amy’s View is a well-written mother-in-law play. But, Hare being Hare, Esme and Dominic’s cultural attitudes largely cause and shape their mutual dislike. Amy’s View, is a stirring, complex play that follows a mother-daughter relationship over sixteen years. The mother is Esme Allen, famous British stage actress whose strong and imposing personality presents a nice complement to her rather reserved daughter, Amy.

As the play opens (in 1979), we encounter the twenty three year-old Amy and her new beau, Dominic, awaiting the arrival of Esme at the actress’ country home. A playful repartee between the two paints a picture of a couple in love, but we later learn that this relationship is more complicated than the first scene reveals. Esme leads her life quite dramatically, caring little for practicalities. She is from a generation of artists who were able to make a comfortable living in the theatre, back when theatre had little competition from other forms of entertainment. (Her deceased husband’s considerable estate also helps maintain her in a comfortable lifestyle.) Her daughter, who has grown up in the theatre, is in love with an aspiring film maker. Dominic is an ambitious, passionate young man who believes that "theatre is no longer relevant" to his generation.

 From Act One, Hare pits Esme and Dominic against each other, with the helpless Amy caught in between. Not only do the two characters dislike each other intensely, but they also stand as symbols of the changing times. Esme looks to reach her audience through language, while Dominic favours visuals and will eventually connect with his audience by shocking them. The play is a study of the three characters. Each Act occurs a few years after the previous one and follows the progression of their lives. Esme, is a complicated person who has built a solitary life after being widowed. She has little patience for other people and while her dramatics can make her appear flighty, there is no mistaking that she is smart as a whip and has a very sharp tongue. Very few people are ever allowed into her world, especially someone like Dominic who quickly becomes her adversary in the struggle for Amy’s happiness. Dominic begins the play as a driven young would-be filmmaker but quickly develops into a self-absorbed member of the media who places all behind his successful career.

In the second act, Dominic is no longer the idealistic artiste. He now hosts a brash television show that attempts to tear down the "arts establishment" with insults and claims that they are "out of touch." Hare makes quite a statement with Dominic, a critic whose anger at the cultural elite is clearly based in a fear of what he does not understand. By his own admission, he has attended very little theatre (probably none,) yet as a self-appointed cultural arbiter, feels that he can critique something that he clearly does not understand. Dominic emotionally neglects Amy, who continues to love him, nonetheless. Amy claims to be happy and we are constantly reminded that it is "Amy’s view" that love will conquer all and that one must love unconditionally. It is as though she thinks that her love is enough for all of them.

 Throughout the four acts it is Amy who tries to bring Esme and Dominic closer to each other. Her attempts to make peace between the two people she loves mostly backfire, fuelling, rather than relieving, the already tense relations between the two. Amy is sensitive and selfless, always putting the needs of Dominic ahead of her own. Determined to stand by her man, she is on a path that the audience can easily determine will lead to unhappiness. She seems to find comfort in the role of suffering wife, a reality that would pain any mother who wants her daughter to be happy and cherished. Esme’s constant reminders to Amy that Dominic is not worthy of her love only serve to put a distance between the mother and daughter that grows with each act. The Act Four Esme is a shell of her former self, yet ironically, within the shell is the true essence of the character. By the last scene, all dramatics and pretence are long gone and for the first time, the audience is treated to an honest look at her soul. The quiet dignity and piercing sadness of Esme are painfully sad to watch and leave much to think about long after the curtain falls.

 

Doug Hammond   (tel. 01243  830070   and mobile 07894 133811 )