THE PROSPECT of being talked at for near on two hours in a triptych of monologues can test the zeal of even the most seasoned theatregoer.

Monologues, while shoehorned as a cheeky or poignant aside in a play, are a welcome addition, but it is easy to see how a single actor conversing with, well himself, imparting snippets of information for the audience’s viewing pleasure, can be fraught with pitfalls for all involved.

What if he or she is not engaging, or because the actor is without a foil, that someone to interact with and bounce ideas off, the magic of theatre suddenly vanishes?

Let me reassure you, anyone second-guessing Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads, at the mention of the M word, like some guilty secret, would be missing out.

On the menu at the Theatre Royal in Bath were three choice works, A Lady of Letters, A Chip in the Sugar and A Cream Cracker Under the Settee.

A Lady of Letters follows busybody Irene Ruddock, a woman drowning in the tedium of an unfulfilling life, who resorts to penning letters of complaint to the council, police, and even the Queen herself to fill the lonely hours. But her unnerving snooping and growing obsession with setting the world to rights - lands her in deep trouble with the authorities.

Hot on Irene’s heels was poor soul Graham Whittaker, the hero of A Chip in the Sugar.

His quiet life as his elderly mother’s companion unravels when Frank Turnbull, an old flame of his mother’s reappears and proceeds to court her, wooing her away from her son. Jealous and highly suspicious of the man coming between him and his mother who is bowled over by Frank’s attentions, Graham sets out to uncover Frank’s secrets.

A Cream Cracker in the Settee completes the trio with the heart-rending tale of Doris, a fiercely independent septuagenarian waging a silent war with social services to stay in her own home. After a fall, she is left lying on the floor, crawling around unable to get herself back up. The threat of the nursing home looms as she reminisces about her marriage and long lost love.

Offering a glimpse into mundane lives lived behind closed doors, Siobhan Redmond, Karl Theobald and Stephanie Cole carried each performance with aplomb, tackling the characters with remarkable sensitivity, humour and grace. The audience was launched on an emotional rollercoaster, chuckling at their quirks and delusions yet empathising with their solitude, regret and frustration with the cards they have been dealt.

Siobhan Redmond’s complex portrayal of Irene was particularly harrowing and proved the highlight of the production. She certainly was a tough act to follow.

A mention must be made of the set, a bare and slightly distorted room mirroring the characters very own skewed and inward perspective.

Always riveting and deliciously dark, yet also affecting and light-hearted, the three multi-layered and intricate pieces were sharply-observed vivisections of (extra) ordinary lives.

Talking Heads runs at the Theatre Royal Bath until Saturday, August 8.