Cream Cracker - Explain in detail, and by frequent reference to the text, the devices used by Alan Bennett to make the action on stage varied and interesting.
Explain in detail, and by frequent reference to the text, the devices used by Alan Bennett to make the action on stage varied and interesting. 'A Cream Cracker under the Settee' is a monologue piece written by Alan Bennett in 1988. Originally broadcasted on the BBC, Thora Hird was the first actress to take on the role of 'Doris' and was awarded a BAFTA for best actress. Bennett explores various themes in the play which skilfully use devices to maintain the audience's interest. These include: loneliness, changes in society and attitude towards the elderly. Cream cracker was a part of a series of monologues entitled 'Talking heads' in 1998. Bennett's themes and ideas came together from his past experiences and events which took place in his life time. Being a young man in the 1960's, he experienced the few decades in which dramatic changes in the structure of society took place. Before then, the church was held in high esteem and the elderly were much more respected. Girls were expected to marry and have children and they were taught to believe that pre-marital sex was very wrong. However as time passed religion began to lose its influence and so society began to change. Bennett uses his past experiences to portray the current life of the elderly, showing a contrast to how it used to be in the 'good old days'. The play is basically about an elderly woman named Doris, who is