The Constant Wife at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh***

This play has much to commend it. To start with, it’s a Royal Shakespeare Company production, directed by the RSC’s co-artistic director Tamara Harvey. And I’ve long been a fan of its leading lady Kara Tointon. It has also been based on W Somerset Maugham’s comedy of manners by Olivier Award-winning playwright and screenwriter Laura Wade. So I had high hopes.

There was one big disappointment, however. I couldn’t hear most of the dialogue. The actors weren’t miked up and not all of their voices carried. Last week I went to see a play at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow and that wasn’t miked up either. Is this a growing trend? Even my friend, who was in the play, was complaining. So many actors these days are used to working in television and have lost the art of projecting, if they ever had it. It’s not that I’m hard of hearing. My young companion had difficulty too.

There are no complaints about the way it looks, however. It exudes quality. All praise to Anna Flesichle’s elegant Art Deco set (apart from a mishap with a wall hanging), and her co-costume designer Cat Fuller. Tointon’s outfits, in particular, are among the most beautiful I have ever seen. And would we have been treated to Jamie Cullum’s compositions, which transports us back to the jazz age, if the RSC hadn’t done away with its music department?

Basically, the story revolves around Constance’s marriage to a surgeon she discovers is having an affair with her best friend. She still loves him so she carves out a new life for herself, keeping her marriage but giving herself an independence unusual for that era – firstly by going into business with her avant-garde sister, played by Amy Vicary-Smith (whose voice I could hear) and then telling her husband (Tim Delap, another loud speaker) that she was going on holiday with her long-time admirer Bernard, sensitively played by Alex Mugnaioni. Also in the mix is Gloria Onitiri, who has quite a presence as the errant friend, and Constance’s mother (Sara Crowe, not so loud). But my favourite character is Bentley the butler, played with both great decorum and humour by Philip Rham.

I can see why this production was a big hit when it premiered in Stratford-upon-Avon last summer. It has all the right components. But the Swan Theatre only has a capacity of around 450 people. It’s a completely different ball game playing to an auditorium which seats nearly 2,000. On a tour of varying house sizes I wonder how it has fared elsewhere.

Image: Mihaela Bodlovic

The Constant Wife is at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh until Apr 4

capitaltheatres.com

It then continues touring:

Apr 7-11: Theatre Severn

Apr 13-18: Leeds Grand Theatre

Apr 20-24: Cheltenham Everyman Theatre

Apr 27-May 2: Poole Lighthouse

May 5-9: Malvern Festival Theatre

May 11-16: Bath Theatre Royal