The Dorfman, National Theatre, plays host to BEGINNING, a new play by David Eldridge set entirely within a Crouch End flat belonging to Laura (Justine Mitchell).The last remaining guest from her flat-warming party, Danny (Sam Troughton), is lingering with a ketchup stain on his shirt and nervously fidgeting legs. He is trying to muster the courage to broach the matter of their mutual attraction. Laura is painfully aware that the clock is ticking and is eager to share her own thoughts on the subject.
One could be forgiven for thinking that London is currently awash with new theatre openings in which an awkward twosome come together to explore their potential for short term coupling and indeed, longer term coupledom. As a premise, playwrights have long explored the theme (with varying degrees of success), due to its rich potential for comic discordancy and sensitive character development.
Polly Findlay directs the slightly tipsy, emotionally fragile, scotch-egg loving duo with relish, and is aided in the all-important physical movement sections by Naomi Said. All the ingredients are here in good measure: a career-minded, ovulating, 30-something female with body clock sensitivity; and a seemingly blokey nice guy, who exhibits crushed self-esteem and physical intimacy issues due to a failed marriage.
That in a nutshell, is the recipe. Throw in a generous dollop of trust building and personal revelations; a sprinkling of spatially uncoordinated dancing and fish finger sandwiches; and the surprise ingredient of a 92-year-old grandmother who is apparently addicted to Twitter. Stir and allow to simmer... and simmer it does.
Despite the excruciatingly frustrating physical interaction between Laura and Danny, due largely to their emotional damage and consequential fears, they each draw courage from the slender prospects revealed by their situation and dare to express their hopes and dreams. The results are masterfully realised while being both enormously moving and exceedingly funny. Aside from one or two clunky lines and a slight sense of claustrophobia, due to the self-imposed containment of the protagonists in one room for the entire play, the results are a joy. Fly Davis' set is convincingly homely. In its post-party state, adorned with empty bottles, streamers and a disco ball, it provides a backdrop rich with comic potential.
Photo credit: Johan Persson
Wicked, the spellbinding musical that tells the story of the witches of Oz, has most recently glided into its 12th year smash hit at the Apollo Victoria, London. It has now surpassed Billy Elliot as one of the longest running musicals, becoming the 16th longest running show in London’s history.