Tag Archives: Unicorn

UNICORN

★★★★

Garrick Theatre

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UNICORN

Garrick Theatre

★★★★

“Walker and Mangan are both wonderful in their roles, giving a natural performance that allows us to believe in everything they say”

The trigger warning in the publicity for Mike Bartlett’s new play, “Unicorn”, states that it ‘contains explicit content and scenes of a sexual nature, which some audience members may find intriguing’. A description that could be applied to the whole play. For it is, indeed, an intriguing and curious affair. Whether it’s an affair of the heart is debatable. ‘Debatable’ being the operative word – the flames of desire are often dowsed by too much discussion. Which is the crux. Bartlett is the master of dialogue and “Unicorn” mixes sharp humour with weighty matters; sometimes dark but lit up by its dazzling one-liners that are timed perfectly, even if the aim is a bit unsure of its target.

Polly (Nicola Walker) is having a drink with one of her writing students, Kate (Erin Doherty). The mutual attraction transcends the age gap and looks set to leap over the lecturer/student divide. The trouble is though, Polly is happily married to Nick (Stephen Mangan), and they share everything. Aha! Why not share the ‘girlfriend’ too. Kate is up for it. Cut to scene two in which Polly broaches the subject with Nick. The spark is supposed to have gone from their marriage, although it is hard to believe as the chemistry and affection between the couple are more than evident in their conversation and body language. Walker and Mangan are both wonderful in their roles, giving a natural performance that allows us to believe in everything they say. Nick is more reticent about the idea of a threesome but is spurred on by Polly’s persuasiveness, which is a neat segue into scene three – one of the highlights in which Nick meets Kate for the first time. Mangan’s beautifully portrayed awkwardness clashes with Doherty’s cheeky, Essex-accented bluntness. Our sympathies lie with the former.

The short scenes are punctuated with riffs of the old music hall song ‘Daisy Daisy (Bicycle Made for Two)’; a neat, tongue in cheek touch. Initially they are light and jazzy, slowly morphing into a more masculine, cockney version until a final punk arrangement points us in the direction of darker territory. Miriam Buether’s simple and stark sets place the action under an umbrella-like, fabric semi-dome. Yet it is the words that always speak louder than the action (a reverse of the old adage). There is very little action and by interval we are starting to wonder where it is all going.

The second act provides the answer, and some unexpected twists too. And with a more pronounced political metaphor leaking into the language the humour takes a bit of a back step. Time has moved forward, and the relationships have taken on a different dynamic. We find ourselves further losing sympathy with the character of Kate – the motif ‘bicycle made for two’ taking on more resonance. Doherty’s intricate portrayal captures this dichotomy excellently; torn between her arrogant, self-imposed right to be considered part of the family but up against decades of intimacy that the couple previously shared without her. It’s hard to fix a third saddle onto the bike.

Bartlett is tackling material that is not necessarily ground-breaking or new. But he does throw a couple of surprises at us. Cleverly constructed with ever-shortening scenes that shrink towards a quite poignant finale, it is nevertheless the execution (with credit to James Macdonald’s able direction) that truly carries the weight. A starry cast, yes, but stellar performances. They make a powerful and seductive threesome that we’d all like to jump into bed with. Metaphorically, of course!

 



UNICORN

Garrick Theatre

Reviewed on 13th February 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Marc Brenner

 

 


 

 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

WHY AM I SO SINGLE? | ★★★★ | September 2024
BOYS FROM THE BLACKSTUFF | ★★★ | June 2024
FOR BLACK BOYS … | ★★★★ | March 2024
HAMNET | ★★★ | October 2023
THE CROWN JEWELS | ★★★ | August 2023
ORLANDO | ★★★★ | December 2022
MYRA DUBOIS: DEAD FUNNY | ★★★★ | September 2021

UNICORN

UNICORN

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Unicorn – 3.5

Reviews, , , , ,

Unicorn

Unicorn

Theatre N16

Reviewed – 22nd May 2018

★★★½

“showcases both promising writing and promising performance, in a touching tale of love, division and growing up”

 

At a house party, an unlikely couple meet for the first time. There’s the age gap (Jack is 19, Katie is 22), the class gap (Jack’s from Essex, Katie’s comes from a rich family) and the geography gap (Katie is at Bristol University). Katie is studying philosophy and she doesn’t have a plan. Jack wants to go into finance and dreams of a house, kids, a car – so he says – though Katie is more interested in his passion for photography. This is a story about the effect of our background on our political ideologies and future plans, about two people in a relationship going down distinctly different paths, but ultimately it is a story about connection, and about holding onto these connections no matter what.

Lauren Cooney as Katie exudes warmth, and fills the space with a relaxed and playful energy that is impossible not to catch. She delivers the nuances of Katie’s character with ease and commits to every moment. Brad Johnson plays Jack, and is also the writer of the piece. Johnson’s performance is competent but he isn’t able to match Cooney’s warmth and ease, and never seems to quite relax into the space or the character. From a writing point of view, Johnson’s story is relatable and contemporary, and adds a politically conscious edge to an honest and human portrayal of a young relationship. A moment of dance amongst an otherwise naturalistic script feels slightly discordant, but otherwise the piece is coherent and well-crafted, taking us through the couples’ pivotal moments together, balancing moments of love with moments of strain in which both characters are simultaneously likeable yet flawed.

Sophia Pardon’s set is ever-changing. Wooden boxes morph into sofas and tables and out of each come duvets and vases and beer bottles as the play spans across five years. At the back of the space, costumes hang on rails and the actors throw on outfit after outfit. The changeovers are a little clumsy as a result of all this moving and changing. Clear effort has been made to remedy this, with interactions between the actors as they dress, often in time to the music but these frequently feel one sided, initiated and committed to by Cooney with limited reciprocation from Johnson.

‘Unicorn’ showcases both promising writing and promising performance, in a touching tale of love, division and growing up.

 

Reviewed by Amelia Brown

Photography by Thandie Massango

 


Unicorn

Theatre N16 until 24th May

 

 

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