Billie Whitelaw is Ruth, a divorcée who needs to take in a lodger to keep herself afloat - Donal McCann is Roger, an electrician from Ireland who needs a berth. Although there are others in the cast, the bulk of this 50 minute play is a two-hander between them. We feel more in the silences and dream sequences than in any words or looks they share.
'Brown Skin Gal ...' is successful because it presents these people as so real. Roger, shy and sensitive, just can't get close to Ruth although he longs to - and she is much the same. There is a sense of hopelessness about the whole thing, but something quite pleasant too. Whitelaw and McCann play their parts to perfection without making their characters silly or cloying. However, their co-stars don't really make an impact; I only really noticed Ann Firbank because I had recently seen her in other dramas from the same decade.
'Brown Skin Gal ...' is successful because it presents these people as so real. Roger, shy and sensitive, just can't get close to Ruth although he longs to - and she is much the same. There is a sense of hopelessness about the whole thing, but something quite pleasant too. Whitelaw and McCann play their parts to perfection without making their characters silly or cloying. However, their co-stars don't really make an impact; I only really noticed Ann Firbank because I had recently seen her in other dramas from the same decade.
