Tag Archives: James Haddrell

THE RIVER

★★★

Greenwich Theatre

ReviewsAmanda Ryan, Danny With A Camera, David Robinson, Emily Bestow, Greenwich Theatre, Henry Slater, James Haddrell, Jez Butterworth, Julian Starr, Kerri McLean, Michaela Murphy, Paul McGann, THE RIVERthespyinthestalls

THE RIVER at the Greenwich Theatre

★★★

“each actor was incredibly committed and the chemistry between them was fantastic”

Jez Butterworth’s The River returns to London at the Greenwich Theatre. A play about a man who takes his girlfriends to a lovely country cabin by a river. Yet he is seemingly haunted by … something?

The show begins with a scene featuring The Man (Paul McGann) and The Woman (Amanda Ryan). They share romantic exchanges before he convinces her to go out fishing with her. After which The Man returns with The Other Woman (Kerri McLean), and their relationship and conversations appear no different. This partner swapping occurs throughout the play, suggesting that The Other Woman is one of potentially many previous partners The Man has taken to the lodge.

It has to be said that the cast, under the strong direction of James Haddrell, were brilliant. I was consistently engrossed in their characters as each actor was incredibly committed and the chemistry between them was fantastic. I could not, however, tell you what the moral or meaning of this story is though – which left me unsatisfied. Throughout the whole show, various mirroring scenes between The Man and the two women occur. In all of them I felt like I was just waiting for them to get to the point. As if we were searching through The Man’s psyche (of which the women are just tools to help do so) via the medium of his dating life, but never actually getting anywhere. He never opens up to his partners and never tells them the truth. He’s searching for something in these women, but we don’t know what. Perhaps that is the point that I am just missing. Maybe the point is he doesn’t know what he’s looking for and he is unsatisfied. That is why we don’t get answers.

McGann’s naturalistic performance of the man is subtle yet nuanced. He wonderfully shifts from loving to anxious to investigative in a matter of moments, and he was key in holding my attention throughout the show. The atmosphere of the theatre was also incredibly accurate. Julian Starr’s sound design is lovely in the way that the subtle noises of the natural world are played constantly – from the occasional cricket to the melody of the river moving. Emily Bestow has designed an incredibly detailed set that fits with the naturalistic style: a fishing cabin (where at one stage, a fish gets gutted) full to the brim of life and the world of The Man.

The best part of The River is the incredibly strong and dedicated performances throughout. It’s unfortunate that they are let down by what I would describe as a repetitive and unsubstantial plot line.

THE RIVER at the Greenwich Theatre

Reviewed on 3rd October 2024

by David Robinson

Photography by Danny With A Camera

Previously reviewed at this venue:

VINCENT RIVER | ★★★ | June 2023

AN INTERVENTION | ★★★½ | July 2022

BAD DAYS AND ODD NIGHTS | ★★★★★ | June 2021

THE RIVER

THE RIVER

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Vincent River

★★★

Greenwich Theatre

ReviewsAlice Carroll, Brandon Kimaryo, Daniel Maxted, Henry Roberts, James Haddrell, Kerrie Taylor, Philip Ridley, Phillip Money, Vincent Riverthespyinthestalls

VINCENT RIVER at the Greenwich Theatre

★★★

“Taylor and Kimaryo are convincing and honest enough together”

The tragic themes in Philip Ridley’s one act two-hander, first produced in 2000 and regularly revived since, sadly retain their relevance today. This new production is set in a rather timeless era though with old-fashioned decor (and no evidence of any mobile phones) so we could be watching a period piece set anytime from the 1980s onwards.

The action takes place in a shabby room in East London with a ghastly red fitted carpet, whitewashed windows, peeling wallpaper, and a cruddy-looking sofa. There is a scattering of boxes around the floor, evidencing that Anita (Kerrie Taylor) has not yet finished moving in. A naked light bulb hangs from the ceiling. (Set & Costume Designer Alice Carroll).

Forced out of her previous home by gossiping neighbours, Anita is looking for a new start. But a boy who she has seen loitering near her old house, has now followed her here and she is curious to find out why. Davey (Brandon Kimaryo) – full of nervous energy, twisting and turning, unable to keep still – walks in through her open door and admits to having found the dead body of Anita’s son Vince, killed in a homophobic attack in an unsavoury disused station toilet. He now cannot unsee what he saw and wants to talk about Vince to make him “walk out of his head”.

Anita is full of suppressed anger. Her mood is volatile, quick to pique. Her voice rises to a shriek and then falls again to a whisper. She suspects Davey of involvement somehow in Vince’s death, certainly he knows more than he is saying. Facing off across the room, two metres apart, they interrogate each other. He wants to know all about the boy. She needs to know details of his death. When they encroach closer, Davey towers over her. She gives him cigarettes and gin. He gives her a foot massage and dope.

Together they replay what occurred on the fateful day, pacing out the action across the living room carpet. Director James Haddrell moves the couple around the room naturally and is not afraid to have them sit in silence when the conversation dries up. Little by little, they give up bits of their own story to learn something new from the other. But Davey has the more to explain and when he removes his black hoodie prior to an explosion of visceral grief, his smart shirt below is drenched in sweat.

The closing scene as Davey attempts to assuage his own feelings of guilt might have been a stretch for a young actor but Kimaryo (making his professional debut whilst still at drama school) nails it totally in a masterful display. Kerrie Taylor performs well too, collapsing to the floor in her own moment of despair. The complete story is finally told – tragic, sickening, and in parts somewhat implausible – but Taylor and Kimaryo are convincing and honest enough together that the action grips without slipping into soap opera.

Reviewed on 27th June 2023

by Phillip Money

Photography by Henry Roberts

Previously reviewed at this venue:

An Intervention | ★★★½ | July 2022

Bad Days And Odd Nights | ★★★★★ | June 2021

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