FRESH KILLS. To 20 November.
London
FRESH KILLS
by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder
Royal Court (Jerwood Theatre Upstairs) To 27 November 2004
Mon-Sat7.45pm Mat Sat 4pm
BSL Signed 17 Nov
Runs 1hr 30min One interval
TICKETS: 020 7565 5000/020 7565 5100 (10am-6om)
www.royalcourttheatre.com
Review: Timothy Ramsden 13 November
Raw setting, raw action, raw play but with moments of freshness and signs of skill.Fresh Kills is a load of rubbish New York's waste-dumping ground, a location favoured for nocturnal gay sex with a rent boy. Except Arnold isn't quite that. He comes from a rich family where he finds no place, so he looks for one with Eddie and Marie. Financially struggling, Eddie's used to getting drunk while his wife wants to join respectable local society and is up for interview by the Women's League.
Eddie's restless the first act of Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder's new play begins with Marie administering oral sex in the cab of their van, recalling their first-ever sex to enliven the relationship. It ends much the same way, only in Fresh Kills, with Arnold's mouth doing the honours. Except, the police arrive in the shape of Eddie's brother-in-law Nick.
So after the interval three men are keeping a secret to maintain Marie's happiness, and a hold over Eddie. He resorts to the DIY solution, assembling the cabinets his wife's been waiting for to keep his skeleton in the cupboard.
Wilder has some nifty dialogue, if occasionally self-consciously crafted (the great temptation for new dramatists). She develops an interesting situation, Arnold knowing all and with an agenda, Eddie confused, denying any gay desire.
Phil Daniels catches this confusion in what's otherwise a dead-cert copybook cartoon New York portrayal. Nicola Walker's smiles and annoyance suggest the youngish woman still hopeful of upward social mobility, while John Sharian's authority works best when he's discovered the new side to his sister's husband the lighting plays out their post-arrest meeting in stark silhouette.
Matt Smith brings smooth-born unpredictability to Arnold, wisely leaving the character elusive. Yet this is annoying; Arnold is the play's the wild card who needs pinning down.
There's no disguising the play's rawness. Scenes often don't develop characters much, and without the acting and production quality the Royal Court can call upon, the piece might would struggle (goodness knows its fate if left to swim in the dark waters of pub theatre). And the end is a theatrical shock, coming just when real exploration of character is called for.
Eddie: Phil Daniels
Marie: Nicola Walker
Nick: John Sharian
Arnold: Matt Smith
Director: Wilson Milam
Designer: Ultz
Lighting: Ultz, Trevor Wallace
Sound: Scott Myers
Dialect coach: Kate Godfrey
Company voice work: Patsy Rodenburg
Assistant designers: Jeremy Daker, Elizabeth K Schwartz
2004-11-16 08:40:57