Three hour-long plays, two intervals, three men in black frock-coats explain some financial history in a revolving glass box in front of a projected, mainly monochrome, cyclorama. When The Lehman Trilogy triumphed at the National Theatre in 2018 I wrote “this show has no right to be so much fun”. Recast and home again, it still is a treat after waltzing Broadway and LA and winning a Tony for Best Play.
‘Magnificent’: THE CRUCIBLE – National Theatre ★★★★★
This is the big one. The Crucible is the National Theatre at its strongest: unapologetic, classic, unsparing, gripping, impassioned. Here’s the heavy artillery, intellectual and dramatic, a big ensemble on a bare stage conjuring – in Es Devlin’s moody set – an illimitable blackness beyond. Hell and hysteria rage and choke and howl out across the centuries with all the power of irrationality.
‘What could be a very clinical piece can also be deeply human’: A NUMBER – Old Vic Theatre
It may be the second time in as many years that Caryl Churchill’s A Number has been performed in London, but it is a play that bears restaging, yielding greater insights every time you see it.
‘A clear favourite to be one of 2019’s best offerings’: THE HUNT – Almeida Theatre
The Hunt is not easy viewing. It will certainly divide opinion and it is loud and clear in its desire to provoke discussion. It is also an intelligently written adaptation steeped in theatricality whilst providing a nod to its source material.
‘Effectively turns the screw on our emotions’: THE HUNT – Almeida Theatre
The Hunt, a striking stage version of Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm’s 2012 film, is full of intensity.
‘For sheer technical theatrical genius, it’s in a class of its own’: THE LEHMAN TRILOGY – West End ★★★★
Notwithstanding its flawed message, in these times of unparalleled political polarisation The Lehman Trilogy will be lapped up by eager audiences. And for sheer technical theatrical genius, the play is in a class of its own.
‘Oddly unemotional, disjointed & not entirely satisfying’: ARISTOCRATS – Donmar Warehouse
Director Lyndsey Turner is clearly impatient with the tradition of playing this melancholy drama as a tribute to Chekhov, and her production is thoroughly anti-naturalistic.
REVIEW ROUND-UP: Aristocrats at the Donmar Warehouse
Lyndsey Turner directs this new production of Brian Friel’s play Aristocrats about a generation whose past threatens their future. Here, Love London Love Culture rounds up the reviews….
‘Interesting without being outright memorable’: ARISTOCRATS – Donmar Warehouse ★★★
Aristocrats does show once again Brian Friel’s remarkable ability to understand and cross religious and personal boundaries, but this time it fails to grapple the heart with quite the keenness of some of his other work.
‘In a summer of great Irish drama, this feels unsatisfactory by comparison’: ARISTOCRATS – Donmar Warehouse
There’s little for the cast to improve because the faults in Aristocrats lie with Friel. This production draws-out all of the core themes but cannot overcome the play’s reliance on heavy exposition and failure to satisfactorily resolve its own questions about the past of these characters.
‘One of the best theatre experiences of the entire year’: THE LEHMAN TRILOGY – National Theatre
The clarity and resonance of the writing turns the tale into art, and the quality of direction, design and, above all, the magnificence of the acting, make this one of the best theatre experiences of the entire year.
‘A monumental comment on our life & times’: THE LEHMAN TRILOGY – National Theatre ★★★★
Like two of its major successes last year, Oslo and Network, and despite some flaws, The Lehman Trilogy is another unmissable state-of-our-world account from the NT. Do see it if you can.
‘An intelligent look behind the scenes of the American Dream’: THE LEHMAN TRILOGY – National Theatre ★★★★★
The Lehman Trilogy is an intelligent look behind the scenes of the American Dream and the smoke and mirrors of the corporate world, brought to light by Mendes’ astute direction and a stellar cast.
‘A rare & beautifully-made theatrical triumph’: THE LEHMAN TRILOGY – National Theatre
The Lehman Trilogy is a substantial achievement, a beautifully balanced depiction of the role of one family in a much wider history of America.
MISSED THE BOAT: Girls & Boys
Posted on June 21, 2018June 21, 2018 by Debbie
Girls & Boys
Photo credit: Marc Brenner
Earlier this year, award-winning actress Carey Mulligan made her return to the London stage in this new one-woman play by Dennis Kelly. It ran at the Royal Court from 8 February until 17 March, and has now transferred across to New York’s Minetta Lane Theater for a limited engagement there. Somehow it missed out on an Olivier Award nomination – granted, that particular group was very strong this year, but for whatever reason there were only four nominees in the Best New Play category (taken from a list of 39 eligible productions) as opposed to five competing for the Best New Musical award (taken from a slim list of 11 eligible productions). But I’m not going to go on another rant about the peculiarities of the Olivier nominations here.
I’m obviously saying that based on now having read the play – as well as from people’s reactions at the time, and knowing the calibre of both the writer and actor involved. Carey Mulligan is, without doubt, one of my favourite actresses; she continues to surprise with the variety of roles she takes on (both stage & screen) and impresses every time. I haven’t actually seen a lot of Dennis Kelly’s previous work, but I did really enjoy Pinocchio at the National – and Matilda is also a wonderful show. And I didn’t miss out on this particular play through want of trying! Yes, I was pretty busy during the few weeks it ran, but I did have spare evenings – I was just spectacularly bad at the Royal Court’s online day seats (though with that clunky system I can’t have been the only one). I’m also rubbish at sorting out tickets for anything at the Royal Court in advance of casting announcements, which I hope to amend in the future so I don’t keep missing out…
Girls & Boys
Photo credit: Marc Brenner
The play makes its way through a series of “chats” and “scenes”, told from the perspective of Mulligan’s unnamed character. It charts the way through her relationship with her husband, interspersed with scenes where she’s with their two children (Danny & Leanne); the relationship doesn’t start well (“I met my husband in the queue to board an easyJet flight and I have to say I took an instant dislike to the man.”), but from this bad first impression springs admiration and eventual marriage. She had been travelling in Europe having become disillusioned with life and boring jobs, so upon their return she was starting from scratch – she fixed on the aim of becoming a development executive in the film industry, getting her foot in the door as a PA before starting her own production company. Her husband has a job he’s passionate about and successful at – what could possibly go wrong?
I have to admit, as I was reading rather than watching, the scenes ‘with’ the children did niggle at me a bit – I was trying to decide whether they did actually have child actors there (even though I knew it was a one-woman play) but with no spoken parts, or how the gaps where the children should be were managed and if this was acknowledged through performance. I imagined the latter as I read, trusting in any stage directions & notes, and that pays off when you reach one of the later “chats”. From then on everything takes a more sinister turn, and even thinking back to what’s happened previously starts to colour it in a completely different light – it almost makes you want to immediately re-read everything to see if you missed any hints, or simply to read it now you know the context in which this story is being told.
Girls & Boys
Photo credit: Marc Brenner
I see a fair amount of one-person shows, and it’s always interesting to see how they’re approached. Most often the ones I see are fringe productions, so it’s usually the bare minimum in terms of the setup – maybe the odd prop, or a backdrop – or if it’s in a bigger space you’re likely to get a bit more put in front of you (such as My Name Is Lucy Barton at the Bridge Theatre, with its hospital bed and multiple screens behind that change the scenery). It’s interesting to try and piece together exactly what Es Devlin provided in terms of set design; it seems like the “chats” are delivered with a blank background, and the “scenes” have a bit more of a set to play with. For this particular piece that makes a lot of sense, with the ‘children’ to consider – though in some solo shows having too much going on around the performer could end up a little distracting.
Since devouring the play text, I’m even more gutted that I missed out. (And when I heard about the New York transfer I was practically praying for it to be later in the year!) Not just because I can imagine how incredible Carey Mulligan’s performance must have been, but also because it’s a great piece of writing; a really engaging story told in a well thought out way. Sometimes you get the feeling that twists are added in just to try and force the story or make the structure a bit more original or interesting, but (for me) this flows perfectly through a compelling plot.
Girls & Boys
Photo credit: Marc Brenner
Girls & Boys has transferred to the Minetta Lane Theater, New York – it runs until 22 July 2018. Tickets are available online or from the box office. An audio version will be released through Audible on 27 June 2018.
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Tags: #MissedTheBoat, Carey Mulligan, Dennis Kelly, Es Devlin, Girls and Boys, London, Minetta Lane Theater, New York City, Off Broadway, Off West End, review, Royal Court Theatre, theatreCategories: all posts, missed the boat, review, theatre
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‘Kelly plays a blinder’: GIRLS & BOYS – Royal Court Theatre ★★★★
One helluva writer, that Kelly and his ‘muse’, Carey Mulligan. Will Girls & Boys transfer? It would be a sell-out, if arduous to maintain, I imagine for Mulligan. Time will tell…
‘Structurally simple but linguistically rich’: GIRLS & BOYS – Royal Court Theatre
Girls & Boys at the Royal Court Theatre is a necessary contribution to mainstream subsidised theatre and unquestionably deserving of a place in contemporary feminist theatre’s canon.
‘Absolutely superb’: GIRLS & BOYS – Royal Court Theatre
The fact that we still have men today who think male violence is “a complex issue” shows that Dennis Kelly’s play Girls & Boys – with men firmly in its sights – remains desperately needed.
‘Carey Mulligan’s tragic intensity is peerless’: GIRLS & BOYS – Royal Court Theatre
Es Devlin’s design for Girls and Boys, aided by Luke Halls’ video work, is simply stunning – the simplest of ideas realised with perfect execution.
‘The most moving play I’ve seen for years’: GIRLS & BOYS – Royal Court Theatre ★★★★★
With its almost unbearable ending, Dennis Kelly’s play is a wonderful mix of hilarity and horror. Carey Mulligan is simply brilliant, totally at home on stage in Lyndsey Turner’s well-paced, absorbing and finally utterly compelling production.
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