Tag Archives: Charles Furness

Appropriate

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Donmar Warehouse

Appropriate

Appropriate

Donmar Warehouse

Reviewed – 24th August 2019

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“Ola Ince’s direction has facilitated exceptional performances from all the cast”

 

It’s difficult to believe Appropriate was written over eight years ago; it seems so precisely pointed at the current ‘post-truth’ culture ushered in by climate change deniers, flat-Earthers, and boggling accusations of fake news that you’d think Branden Jacobs-Jenkins had penned it within the past few months. There’s even a remark about a Supreme Court judge which seems to perfectly tie in with the controversy involving Brett Kavanaugh less than a year ago. It must instead be a testament to the inescapable and unflinching truths that Jacobs-Jenkins’ writing brings centre-stage that the play has so much to reflect on in 2019.

Appropriate focuses around the Lafayettes, a staggeringly dysfunctional family forced to convene to deal with their recently-deceased father’s immensely unkempt plantation house. Comprised of the argumentative and devoted Toni (Monica Dolan), pragmatic yet money-driven Bo (Steven Mackintosh), and fraught recovering addict Franz (Edward Hogg), tensions rise to extreme levels over the ghosts of their pasts, as they are forced to reconcile with the notion that – being a plantation owner – their father may not have been as good a man as they’d initially thought. The insecurities and inherited generational ignorance are exacerbated further by Toni’s reclusive son Rhys (Charles Furness), Franz’s notably younger fiancΓ©e River (Tafline Steen), and Bo’s mothering wife Rachael (Jaimi Barbakoff) and teenage daughter Cassie (Isabella Pappas) who’s determined to be treated like an adult. Each character feels like they’ve been perfectly crafted to prod and provoke the others in ways that are a joy to watch.

Ola Ince’s direction has facilitated exceptional performances from all the cast, although Dolan is particularly noteworthy as the ferocious epicentre of most of the play’s conflict, constantly finding new texture and nuance to bring to her numerous embittered tirades, imbuing a sense of vulnerability that is slowly revealed. That’s not to say that Jacobs-Jenkins’ script doesn’t give every character a chance to shine; Furness and Pappas, for example, share a sensitive and poignant scene reflecting on the buzz of the cicadas surrounding the house – a cacophony brought to life by Donato Wharton’s claustrophobic sound design. Other design elements are equally exceptional, such as the Lafayettes’ late father’s hoarding realised brilliantly in the overwhelmingly creaky and creepy set from Fly Davis.

Despite that Appropriate is framed primarily as a family drama, there are also undercurrents of horror – characters feel presences, lightbulbs flicker, and objects move of their own volition when no-one’s in the room. It gave the impression that these two genres were going to collide spectacularly in the play’s climax, but it unfortunately fizzles out in an underwhelming montage. It’s a shame to end on such a forgettable note, because Appropriate is otherwise an urgent wake-up call to how the way we remember the past could be cataclysmic for the future.

 

Reviewed by Ethan Doyle

Photography by Marc Brenner

 


Appropriate

Donmar Warehouse until 5th October

 

Last ten shows covered by this reviewer:
Coral Browne: This F***Ing Lady! | β˜…β˜… | King’s Head Theatre | May 2019
Delicacy | β˜…β˜…β˜…Β½ | The Space | May 2019
Orpheus DescendingΒ  | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Menier Chocolate Factory | May 2019
Regen | β˜…β˜…β˜… | Pleasance Theatre | May 2019
Afterglow | β˜…β˜…β˜…Β½ | Southwark Playhouse | June 2019
The Light In The Piazza | β˜…β˜…β˜… | Royal Festival Hall | June 2019
Equus | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Trafalgar Studios | July 2019
No One Likes Us | β˜…β˜…β˜… | Hen & Chickens Theatre | August 2019
Scenic Reality | β˜… | Hen & Chickens Theatre | August 2019
The Parentheticals: Improdyssey | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Etcetera Theatre | August 2019

 

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Isaac Came Home From the Mountain – 4 Stars

Mountain

Isaac Came Home From the Mountain

Theatre503

Reviewed – 14th May 2018

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“a powerful perception of virulent masculinity in a desolate society”

 

The parable underlying Phil Ormrod’s story of β€˜Isaac Came Home From The Mountain’ spotlights the balance of love, acceptance, pride and rejection in male relationships, often clouded by expectations and rarely voiced. Bobby, out of school, needs to find work to appease and impress his father. When he succeeds and his father fails to show the recognition he hopes for, he looks for approval elsewhere and, in his desperation, makes a terrible mistake.

The four actors, perfectly cast, produce a powerful perception of virulent masculinity in a desolate society. Ormrod’s tightly-written script, with its touches of humour, give depth and intrigue to the characters; the rapports ebb and flow as they search for their places in each other’s lives. Charles Furness’ Bobby shields his sensitivity with vulnerable toughness. Keen to do the right thing, but crushed by a grim future, he is angry and dismissive. Only once does he let go in a piercing moment of realisation. His father, John (Guy Porritt), tries to get him to face his responsibilities and earn a living. Torn between his own duties at work and home, he finally yields, as Abraham saved Isaac from sacrifice, and stands by his son. Ian Burfield as Mike, prepared to take Bobby on, has a bullying turn of temper, frightening and imposing in size and sonority. In a game of intimidation and authority, he plays with the insecurities of Bobby and his own son, Chris, portrayed by Kenny Fullwood. He, in turn, defends his territory when Bobby comes looking for work and smoulders with jealousy when his father favours the newcomer.

The harsh sense of raw emotions is impacted by the wonderfully arresting set design by Eleanor Bull, from its forceful main structure to the carefully detailed dust and blades of grass. Ali Hunter’s stunning lighting illuminates the changes of time, place and atmosphere as well as creating dramatic special effects. The sound (Benjamin Grant) interacts with the lighting, marking the different scenes with subtle grittiness.

This is a simple narrative given weight by skilled writing. Carla Kingham shapes the play with varied moods and pace, using every possibility of the set to generate space, action and movement. On the small stage the tension builds and we feel a shadow of discomfort, reflecting the anguish experienced, in particular, by young men in a ruthless world. The evocative creativity of the art design and acutely passionate performances combine for a moving, bitter-sweet evening of theatre.

 

Reviewed by Joanna Hetherington

Photography by Helen Murray

 

 

Isaac Came Home From the Mountain

Theatre503 until 2nd June

 

 

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