Allelujah!
Bridge Theatre, London

IN THIS 70th anniversary year of the NHS, Alan Bennett’s new play, set in a much-loved local hospital facing the threat of closure, is a sharp reminder of the crises it faces.

Bennett takes the provision of geriatric care as the focus for the action and a mature ensemble of actors adds authenticity to a piece which is in part a celebration of the onset of age while offering rebuke to the disregard of officialdom and the common neglect of older people who find themselves in need of care.

Among the convincing characters created by Bennett, there's the humourless and grim Amy Gilchrist (Deborah Findlay), the nursing sister in charge of the geriatric unit who runs a tight ship in mitigating episodes of incontinence and ruthlessly ensuring efficiency of throughput. There's always an available bed on her ward.