Talking Heads is a series of well-loved British monologues written for BBC TV by gay multi-award-winning playwright Alan Bennett and originally broadcast in 1988 and 1998. Some episodes have appeared on PBS in the United States under the umbrella of Masterpiece Theatre.

Spread over two evenings, local women’s theatre group The Next Act are performing four of these pieces at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. I saw Her Big Chance and A Cream Cracker Under The Settee, marvellously interpreted by Amy Dallas and Helen Schofield.

The monologues are slightly dated with references to things long gone from British culture, but their humanity and sentiment remain constant. Bennett has an ear for accents and their subtle nuances, and he is particularly attuned to women’s voices. The speakers in Talking Heads present themselves to the world in a conventional manner, but by the end of each play they have revealed something surprising to us.

In Her Big Chance, an actress talks about her latest rôle and in A Cream Cracker Under The Settee an elderly woman reflects on her life.

Lesley is a buxom young actress from Essex. After appearances in a few TV soap operas, her main claim to fame was a bit part in Roman Polanski’s movie Tess, but since then, she has had trouble finding work. An encounter with an electrician at a party leads her to accept a rôle in a low-budget German video, which turns out to be not exactly what she expected. Is she really as innocent as she seems?

Seventy-five-year-old Yorkshire widow Doris is facing the prospect of having to move into a rest home, which she dreads. She reluctantly has a home help who visits regularly, but one day after the help has left, Doris has a fall and is unable to move. While she is lying on the floor she reminisces about her husband and their simple life together. Her stoicism hides a sad secret which she slowly shares.

I have to applaud the commitment of this fine community theatre group. These talented actors could easily find parts in the professional theatre.

Amy Dallas as Lesley makes us laugh out loud while Helen Schofield as Doris quietly tugs at our heartstrings.

The group is hoping to take their production on tour around “village halls” in the UK. Don’t miss it, if it comes your way!