Bibliophiles finally got acknowledgement of their passions with the opening of 84 Charing Cross Road at Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre.
A love story of books told in letters that unfolds across the Atlantic over 20 years between a wise cracking New Yorker and a stuffy London antiquarian bookseller, it is also a reminder that we should also listen to our instincts to avoid unfulfilled ambitions.
Post war, Helen Hanff (Blazey Best) is a New York researcher who needs additional research material and follows an ad in an American paper advertising the services of a London bookshop located at 84 Charing Cross.
Her requests are answered by a Frank Doel (Erik Thomson), who initially signs formally with just his initials for Marks and Co, the booksellers.
Post war England is still suffering from severe rationing, and to the delight of the staff of Marks and Co, a parcel from Hanff arrives containing a ham and other treats.
As the orders for obscure titles increases, such as John Donne’s Sermons and the Greek New Testament, so does the wit and intimacy of the postal exchanges, with Helen frequently hinting at visiting the bookstore in London, but is always thwarted by local events at the last moment.
This stage production of 84 Charing Cross Road is a well-paced and intimate five-hander, with the other three actors playing roles of Marks and Co staff members who perform their roles dutifully and with little dialogue, the exception being Angela Mahlatjie as Cecily, who adds herself into the exchange with Hanff.
Once you overcome initial reservations about Best’s raw New York accent, you accept that she is channelling her best Dorothy Parker, and settle into watching a finely nuanced and passionate performance.
Erik Thomson likewise gives a finely tuned side to the role of Doel, as he evolves from the quintessential stuffy Englishman to a warm and caring manager of staff and in his open offers of hospitality to Hanff.
Kate Fitchett, in her two roles as Megan and Maxine, does not have much in the way dialogue, but helps give the bookshop a busy and functional atmosphere, as does Brian Meegan with his sharp comedic timing.
Throughout the production, director Mark Kilmurry shows that he understands the values of the script with its emphasis on warmth and friendship, and along with Julia Robertson as movement director, gives us a masterclass in stage business that at times looks balletic, but always truthful.
Nick Fry’s set is one of the best utilisations of the Ensemble stage seen an ages, consisting of Hanff’s cramped NYC space on a raised platform, with Marks and Co’s space taking up the remainder of the floorspace, separated by an imaginary Atlantic Ocean.
Fry is also responsible for costumes, which are perfectly attuned to each character and situation, from Hannf’s casual attire to the stuffy English semi-formality in Marks and Co.
The entire back walls of the set are lined from head height to the ceiling in bookshelves tightly packed with bound books, in contrast to the floors that are strewn with stacked volumes.
Lighting design from Matt Cox serves the production well by by being understated but effective, as does Madeleine Picard’s music and sound.
84 Charing Cross Road is an unusual production in the two central protagonist never interact physically, their relationship being determined by the documentary exchanges in the letters. Despite that, Best and Thomson’s characters build a powerful and heartwarming bond on stage that resonates long after the play has finished.
That 84 Charing Cross Road is one of the world’s most adapted books, having become a book and stage play, a film, radio play and a television production is due to the exchanges between two people who develop a special kind of love for each other that came about through their mutual love for words.
84 Charing Cross Road
Ensemble Theatre, 78 McDougall Street, Kirribilli
Performance: Wednesday 6 May 2026
Season continues to 13 June 2026
Information and Bookings: www.ensemble.com.au
Images: Erik Thomson and Blazey Best – photo by Prudence Upton | Angela Mahlatjie – photo by Prudence Upton | Angela Mahlatjie, Erik Thomson, Brian Meegan, Katie Fitchett and Blazey Best – photo by Prudence Upton
Review: John Moyle