Tag Archives: Lizzie Manwaring

Two Character Play

Two Character Play

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Hampstead Theatre

Two Character Play

Two Character Play

Hampstead Theatre

Reviewed – 27th July 2021

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“Occasionally melancholic, always mesmerising, totally memorable. A masterpiece of theatre”

 

β€œTo play with fear is to play with fire. No, worse, much worse, than playing with fire. Fire has limits.”

Tennessee Williams knew the importance of opening lines, and in β€œThe Two Character Play” he captures the essence of what is to come. It is simultaneously reassuring and unsettling. It’s a theme that runs through much of his earlier writing, but in this later work it is much less opaque; we know the flame won’t be held back by the yellowing parchment through which we see it flicker.

In a way Williams was playing with fire. Rather than relying on his critical and popular acclaim he wanted to experiment and expand his writing style. It met with a mixed reception at its world premiere at the Hampstead Theatre, disconcerting critics and audiences. But over half a century later it definitely bites with a sharper resonance than ever before. The timing is perfect. A two-hander, we are introduced to Felice and then his sister Clare. They are both β€œartists of the theatre. Long prepared for working under unexpected conditions”. They have been abandoned by the rest of the company but are nevertheless determined that the show must go on despite the β€œeccentricities of the time”. Suffocated by their isolation and afraid to go out, the characters’ only choices are to face each other or to face their demons.

The structure is a play within a play, and Sam Yates’ production has perfectly captured this concept. As Felice and Clare prepare for their performance the houselights remain lit, the lighting rig is at floor level and the space is littered with the props and unassembled pieces of scenery. We don’t quite know when the pre-show ends and the show begins. Just as we are never sure of the shifts between the actors and their characters; whether we are in reality or in the play. Or in the play within the play. The blurred lines are always intentional, reflecting the brother and sister losing their own grip on reality.

Zubin Varla, as Felice, and Kate O’Flynn, as Clare, are outstanding and unforgettable. The chemistry burns and crackles with an enforced intimacy and horrific backstory that keeps them forever entwined. The fire of their performance is fanned by the many refreshing waves of comedy that they bring to the roles. It’s a skill that is rarely seen in theatre and Varla and O’Flynn wield it mercilessly through their wonderful shifts in mood, without diminishing the desperation that motivates their characters.

The second act dips into a darker domain. Lee Curran’s shadowy lighting and Dan Balfour’s surround sound design heighten the mood. A false ending trips us up and unfortunately dispels the magic momentarily as we slip into a flash of Gothic Horror. But the poignancy returns as the siblings (are they the actors or are they the characters they are portraying?) start to re-enact the tragedy that befell their parents.

They are unable to see it through. It is as unresolved as the play itself, and as the couple pull the plug on proceedings they are again alone on the bare stage. Their (imagined?) audience has also abandoned them, while they are imprisoned in the theatre. Too tired to be frightened now, they realise that fear is limited. β€œClare, your mind’s going out” whispers Felice. Tennessee Williams was haunted and inspired by his sister Rose who was plagued by mental illness. β€œYou must never make fun of insanity” Rose once reproved her brother β€œIt’s worth than death”. In β€œThe Two Character Play” Felice is left a note by the company that abandoned them: β€˜Your sister and you are… insane!’. Perhaps they are, perhaps they aren’t. Varla and O’Flynn portray the characters with a perfect mix of exaggeration and sensitivity of which Williams would be proud. There is no answer really, just as the play has no real conclusion. We can part with reality at times, but we can never part with each other.

Occasionally melancholic, always mesmerising, totally memorable. A masterpiece of theatre.

 

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Marc Brenner

 


Two Character Play

Hampstead Theatre until 28th August

 

Reviewed by Jonathan this year:
Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Hung Parliament | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Online | February 2021
Bklyn The Musical | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Online | March 2021
Remembering the Oscars | β˜…β˜…β˜… | Online | March 2021
The Picture of Dorian Gray | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Online | March 2021
Disenchanted | β˜…β˜…β˜… | Online | April 2021
Abba Mania | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Shaftesbury Theatre | May 2021
Cruise | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Duchess Theatre | May 2021
Preludes in Concert | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Online | May 2021
You Are Here | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Southwark Playhouse | May 2021
AmΓ©lie The Musical | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Criterion Theatre | June 2021
Bad Days And Odd Nights | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Greenwich Theatre | June 2021
Express G&S | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Pleasance Theatre | June 2021
Forever Plaid | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Upstairs at the Gatehouse | June 2021
Forgetful Heart | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Online | June 2021
Staircase | β˜…β˜…β˜… | Southwark Playhouse | June 2021
The Hooley | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Chiswick House & Gardens | June 2021
Be More Chill | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Shaftesbury Theatre | July 2021
Heathers | β˜…β˜…β˜… | Theatre Royal Haymarket | July 2021

 

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Bible John

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VAULT Festival 2020

Bible John

Bible John

Forge – The Vaults

Reviewed – 14th February 2020

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“the raw energy and directness of These Girls in this original show guarantees a multi-layered and intensely nuanced performance piece”

 

Think crime and female sleuths and your minds will probably go to the likes of Miss Marple, Precious Ramotswe and Jessica Fletcher.

But in β€œBible John,” an enjoyable and informative new show as part of the VAULT Festival, These Girls theatre company explain that many women today are hooked on true crime podcasts, with one group of female office workers turning detective to investigate a serial killer at work in 1960s Glasgow.

This is no mere β€œMurder, She Podcasted.” The play successfully treads a fine line between exploring the impact such an interest in grisly murders may have on its fans, with a deeper question about male violence against women and how society treats victims, and producing a funny and entertaining festival show.

Writer Caitlin McEwan, Renee Bailey, Carla Garratt and Louise Waller play the four ordinary temps who discover they share a morbid fascination with true crime, and with a podcast reinvestigating the Bible John murders by American journalist Carrie LaRue.

Unravelling the facts from the speculation they find this sharing of the story is cathartic and empowering, while also understanding that they need to recognise this isn’t a piece of crime fiction, but a case involving true life: β€œThis is about real women’s lives, not a game of Sudoku!” says one as the girls ignore their work demands and instead journey down a rabbit hole in search of evidence and meaning.

On a plain stage with office chairs, a screen and just a few props the four performers, under the tight and bold direction of Lizzie Manwaring, ensure there is a palpable sense of rage and irritation which can only send audiences out thinking about general attitudes towards women and the dangers of obsession in any form.

The infectious buzz of the production is aided further by Laurie Ogden’s movement direction, which captures the liberation of women who just want to dance and the release of pent-up frustration.

Just as in the unsolved murders committed by Bible John 50 years ago, this show has no ending – other than to recognise that there is no ending, that things can’t be tied up neatly, and that there are still too many anonymous victims of male violence.

The final reminder of the victims’ names with their pictures on screen underlines the powerful point that all crime has victims who must never remain an anonymous part of a story. But the raw energy and directness of These Girls in this original show guarantees a multi-layered and intensely nuanced performance piece.

 

Reviewed by David Guest

Photography by Ali Wright

 

VAULT Festival 2020

 

 

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