“Prism” by Terry Johnson
Nottingham Theatre Royal

This play concerns a unique person from show business history – in this case it is perhaps the greatest lighting cameramen and director of photography ever in the history of cinematography, Jack Cardiff, played by Robert Lindsay. Cardiff, who was awarded many accolades, won Oscars for his legendary movies ‘Black Narcissus’ and ‘The Red Shoes’. He was also quite a ladies’ man.

One thing that Cardiff experimented with were prisms, which he used to create special screen textures and colours that he dubbed as “painting with light”, and is where the title of Johnson’s play comes from.

When we meet Cardiff he is in the grip of dementia and so his recollections are often a tad confused. Cardiff has come to live with his son Mason (Oliver Hembrough) and Cardiff's wife Nicola (Tara Fitzgerald).

Mason and Nicola live in Buckinghamshire where they have converted their garage into a den of memorabilia for Cardiff to relax and relive and perhaps write his autobiography, which Mason has, designs on publishing.

There are only four actors in this production and Victoria Blunt completes this cast as Lucy, a carer who falls under Cardiff’s spell.

And it's not just Lucy who falls under the charismatic but potty-mouthed Cardiff, because I think we all did, or to be more realistic, we all fell under Robert Lindsay's spell. What a story-teller, and when you see Act Two, his subtle voice change and the change in physicality says more about Cardiff's mind trip down memory lane to his Golden days than any visual time lapse.

Like so many actors you see on TV, it's when you experience the actor on stage in front of an audience that you really appreciate the talent, and that is so true with Robert Lindsay and the rest of the cast.

And it's not just the cast that make this story as magical, as well as sad, as it is. The set comes alive as photos come alive, change images and the section at the end of Act One will have your jaw dropping as the garage falls away to reveal a living African jungle scene where Cardiff filmed "The African Queen".

The video design is a work of art by Ian William Galloway and the Set design is by Tim Shortall.

The cast at this stage also change, apart from Cardiff who we then see in his younger days, and we get to see the sparkle of the cameraman as he deals with Bogart, Hepburn and Monroe. It's also at this stage we see into the memory that Cardiff was reliving in part of the first act.

There's a heck of a lot of comedy in this piece but by the end of the second act, you start to feel a bit uneasy about laughing at the way Cardiff is in Act One. There's one pivotal point when you feel you've been slapped in the face and the full reality of Cardiff's illness hits home.

It's also the look on the other three character's faces that provide that virtual slap, because they realise what has happened when you do. It's a very emotional end to the play.

Directed with real feeling by Terry Johnson.

This is a magical play on so many levels with an incredible cast, but be prepared to have a tissue at hand by the end.

“Prism” is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 26 October.