FOURPLAY/THREE MORE SLEEPLESS NIGHTS. To 20 April.
.London.
FOURPLAY and THREE MORE SLEEPLESS NIGHTS
by Sergi Belbel by Caryl Churchill.
translated by Sharon G. Feldman
Tristan Bates Theatre to 20 April 2008.
Mon – Sat 7.30pm, mats alternating Sat/Sun, 2pm.
Runs 2hr 15min.
TICKETS: 020 7240 6283
www.tristanbatestheatre.co.uk
Review: Harriet Davis 10 April.
Some good players; pity about one of the plays.
It’s always nice to see a bit of early Caryl Churchill, if only to be reminded how fresh her work remains. The first of this three-scene short play is by far the best; a couple grudgingly take to their bed before exploding into a spectacular argument, which doesn’t subside for the rest of the scene.
Churchill’s focus is the way in which couples communicate; specifically their tendency to look outward for reassurance or inward to the point of self-obsession. The second scene, which is far less effective, shows a near-suicidal woman and her stunningly insensitive husband, who sees everyday life through the lens of a Hollywood film.
The overall thesis is disappointing. Couples will either bicker endlessly, or fall into a stilted silence; neither of which is particularly healthy. The cinematic references are confusing, and there seems to be no thematic link between the films mentioned (Alien, Apocalypse Now) and the scenes unfolding before us.
The finale sees the aforementioned bickerer (from the first scene) coupled with the film buff (from the second), who has left his troubled wife for a new relationship. However, his communication skills have not improved, and he looks likely to make the same mistakes again.
While all three actors are strong, James Merchant seems considerably younger than his supposed partners; this, coupled with his geek-boy persona, make him seem closer to a narcissistic teenager than to a man worthy of occupying a grown up’s bed. But then perhaps that’s the point.
The second of this double-bill is by Spanish playwright Sergi Belbel. A middle-aged couple – whose sex life is flailing – arrange for a younger couple to ‘christen’ their new bed. Belbel tells the tale through a bewildering mix of forward and backward running scenes, which seem to illustrate the same point in a randomized order. The dialogue is deliberately oblique –likened in the programme to Beckett – but the play lacks Beckett’s substance, and the interactions (which in and of themselves are of little meaning) are tedious. When the scenes are finally re-played in chronological order, they are neither profound nor particularly enlightening.
It seems an awful shame to waste such a capable cast on such dire material. The Churchill play – which is really little more than an extended sketch – is a godsend by comparison.
Margaret/The Female Friend: Josephine Taylor.
Frank/The Man: Will Barton.
Pete/The Male Friend: James Merchant.
Dawn/The Woman: Sara Lloyd.
Director: Russell Bolam.
Designer: Ruth Hall.
Lighting: Katherine Williams.
Sound: Lee Wilson.
2008-04-14 00:42:19