Ben and Imo
Orange Tree, London
★★★★

In 1951, mighty composer and man of the moment Benjamin Brittan was commissioned to write an opera in honour of the Queen’s coronation. Somewhat in awe, he decided to take on a musical assistant, settling on Imogen Holst (Imo), a music teacher from Dartington Hall and the daughter of Gustav — he of The Planets et al. The result was Gloriana which debuted at Covent Garden in June 1952.

The dazzling two-hander now showing at the Orange Tree is an in-depth study of Ben and Imo as they combine to deliver the goods. But, while the play fascinates with behind-the-scenes insights into such collaboration, it is the intricate ebb and flow of their relationship that enthrals.  

Ben has all the hallmarks of the creative giant — controlling, cantankerous, unashamedly egocentric, liable to sudden mood swings, contemptuous of others and their work, filled with terror and self-doubt but always, always saved by a defining charisma that holds him centre stage.    

Imo, meanwhile, is a free spirit, driven by her passion for music and a singularly marked absence of self-regard. The latter could render her submissive were it not for her equally powerful inner energy and natural radiance. Unmarried in her 40s, her life has been spent supporting her brilliant father, bringing music to the less fortunate through community groups and children’s choirs, and making a name for herself as teacher and arranger.

The two meander their way through the months, locked into an interdependence that strays into love but then circumvents it. Ben is, of course, gay but at a time when the law forbade it. Imo is all woman but confirmed in her single life. From the moment they meet in his home in Aldeburgh, it’s a tricky journey. And a passion between them seems always on the cards.  

The play arrives at Richmond following a BBC Radio 3 outing in 2013 and a theatre premiere at the Swan Stratford-on-Avon last year. And though the concept seems more like a character study than an out-and-out drama, it’s a showcase of talent.

Mark Ravenhill made his name as a creator of daring, in-yer-face, big stage blow-outs like Shopping and F***ing. His script for Ben and Imo is, conversely, a masterclass in tightly focused wordplay. Here he is served by two matchless performers who rivet our attention and inhabit their characters completely. Victoria Yates shines as Imo while Samuel Barnett mesmerises by the second as Ben. Piano playing, singing, fabulous dancing — they do it all between them, tantalising us with smatterings of music, then skimming across each other like floating planets in freefall.  

Meanwhile, director Erica Whyman choreographs the whole with unflinching skill, the grand piano holding centre stage like an emotional prop, as animate as any person and as multifaceted.

Are Ben and Imo true to the original pair? Who knows? The purists may take issue. Dramatically, though, they work. And while, in the end, this pairing seems of little consequence, it’s a show that captivates and pleases.

This alone is no mean feat.  

Runs until May 17. Box Office: 020 8940 3633, orangetreetheatre.co.uk