Set in the present day when it premiered in 1922, Loyalties is, in many ways, a portrait of high society as it was at the time. The police are called to attend Meldon Court, the residence of Sir Charles Winsor (Ant Foran) because there has been a theft. I have no idea whether the police would bother to attend if a theft happened on private property these days – perhaps they would insist they are not required to attend as they consider it a ‘civil matter’. That, however, is beside the point: there are enough details of legal proceedings for those interested in them to get their teeth into, but the play is really about antisemitism amongst the upper classes.
Ferdinand de Levis (Euan Charles) is the wronged party, and reaches the conclusion that Captain Ronald Dancy (Alex Perez) owes him the £970 that he won at the races, which was in his room before he went into the en suite to have a bath, and now isn’t. Dancy, however, is loved by ‘everybody’ in his social circles, at least partly because of his military service during World War One. Mr de Levis, meanwhile, is an outsider, and because of this, the other guests at Sir Charles’ stately home think he is being ridiculous in his accusation against Dancy. Dancy’s reputation remains solid, with Major Colford (Dan Thompson) adopting a ‘no matter what’ approach towards Dancy – that is, Colford would remain Dancy’s friend and confidant even if a court of law decided he (Dancy) was guilty of theft. But, of course, that’s not going to happen. Such an upstanding fine gentleman with plenty of money of his own – what motive would there be to take a relatively nominal sum (for them, the upper classes)?
I didn’t particularly get the feeling the play was necessarily about antisemitism, but rather the narrowmindedness and snobbery of the English upper classes more generally. If Mr de Levis were, hypothetically, from, say, Canada or Australia or anywhere else that isn’t England (Wales, even), I suspect he would have been treated with just as much suspicion and disdain. There’s a hint of this in the final act, when an Italian wine merchant called Ricardos (Philip Sheahan) is called into the law offices of Sir Jacob Twisden (Howard Shepherdson) on a matter relating to the de Levis case – he simply isn’t believed in the way an Englishman would have been, and Sir Jacob’s assistant Edward Graviter (James Goodden) is dispatched, apparently to investigate whether Ricardos actually does live at the address he said he does!
The set’s configuration overall is sufficiently tight for the places in which the various scenes are set: a dressing room, a bedroom, a barrister’s office, and so on. Still and moving images are projected onto a huge screen at the back of the stage – so far back that its position reveals quite how much unused performance space there is, particularly as characters more often than not make their entrance through a vom (short for ‘vomitorium’, should you want to look it up), such that their backs are initially against the audience and they make their greetings talking upstage.
There’s no escaping this is a period piece, and also one about ‘how the other half live’. Being so detached from contemporary realities and yet discussing very real themes left me with a mixture of simultaneous contradictory feelings of detachment and engagement. It’s also very much an ensemble play: producers wanting to put a ‘name’ to their productions will probably steer clear of this show. I thought it could have been pacier at times, and it isn’t the fault of a cast and director in 2026 that some of the dialogue from a 1922 play comes across as stiff and repressed. The slurs – ‘damned Jew’ and the like – are period-appropriate rather than shocking, but the prejudice lands. It was a thoughtful and nuanced experience.
Review by Chris Omaweng
Who deserves your allegiance?
1922. Ferdinand De Levis, a wealthy young Jewish entrepreneur, is desperate to be accepted by English high society, who just about tolerate him. However, when he accuses one of their own of theft, they close ranks against him.
The accused, Captain Dancy, is the archetypal dashing English gentleman and a decorated war hero. It is inconceivable that he could be a thief. Caught between morality and tradition, the Establishment must choose where their loyalties lie.
CAST
Charles Winsor – Ant Foran
Lady Adela Winsor – Sophie Platts-Martin
Ferdinand de Levis – Euan Charles
Treisure – Tony Diggle
General Canynge – Robert Staines
Margaret Orme – Alexandra Upton
Captain Ronald Dancy – Alex Perez
Mabel Dancy – Nerea Idigoras
Inspector Dede – Mark Redrup
Robert – Rory Andrews
Augustus Borring – Robin Ingram
Lord St Erth – Alan Waldock
Footman – Oliver Powell
Major Colford – Dan Thompson
Edward Graviter – James Goodden
Clerk – Oliver Powell
Gilman – John Dobson
Jacob Twisden – Howard Shepherdson
Ricardos – Philip Sheahan
CREATIVES
Written by John Galsworthy (1867-1933)
Director – Francis Lloyd
Associate Director – Joanna Mludzinska
Lighting Designers – Andrew Whadcoat and Caitlin MacGregor
Sound Designer – Russell Fleet
Costume Designer – Nicholas Thomas
Assistant Costume Designer – Sophie Holt
Set Designer – Howard Shepherdson
LOYALTIES
The Questors Theatre
23 to 31 January 2026
