Quartet in Autumn review – Samantha Harvey gives new life to Barbara Pym tale of imminent retirement

Arcola theatre, London The 70s novel about the everyday grumbles of four office workers remains just as relevant, playfully staged by director Dominic Dromgoole It’s no wonder why Barbara Pym’s bittersweet and quietly profound novel about four prickly office workers approaching retirement has not been adapted for the stage before. Its charm is tightly wedded to the rich interiority of its characters – Edwin, Letty, Marcia and Norman – who have unwittingly become each other’s closest confidants,