REDUNDANT by Leo Butler. Royal Court Theatre
London
REDUNDANT
by Leo Butler
Royal Court, Jerwood Theatre Downstairs to 6 October 2001
Runs 1hr 45mins No interval
TICKETS 020 7565 5000
Review Timothy Ramsden 18 September
Striking scenes from the underbelly of provincial life would benefit from greater dramatic propulsion.
Considering how much ‘the social’ are hovering round characters Leo Butler doesn’t put on stage, it’s surprising Sheffield’s ‘social’ haven’t found out his central character, 17 year old Lucy. The ‘medical’ too. For what starts as a tender look at young emotions turns tough when Lucy is shown as victim to the mood swings of her older boyfriend Dave (Wil Johnson). Yet it’s apparent Dave isn’t the only one with a whip-hand. Lucy stabs, bites and punches her way through Darren (Simon Trinder), the only young person with a purposeful future, and her grandmother (Eileen O’Brien).
These people threaten her wish-fulfilment. Surrounded by increasingly sparse furnishings – the furniture is fidgeted around the room like deckchairs rearranged across her sinking life – Lyndsey Marshal’s Lucy sits serenely serving up snack food and an ill-baked cake, dolled-up in the heaven of an imagined family life.
Butler writes good, sparky dialogue for the linguistically dispossessed. He also has a nice line in character quirks, helped by a usual crack Royal Court cast in Dominic Cooke’s alert, agitated production.
And the play plants inconsequential detail that smacks home with new significance as events proceed. At the start we learn Lucy slept with her form teacher. This makes for a good joke later, then slaps back when she finally tries a seductive smile on Dave’s mate Gonzo (Craig Heaney).
But Gonzo, who’s come in from the sidelines as a character, is one ahead. Rolling yet another joint he’s clearly planning to use her sexuality as a means of making money. Which ties in neatly with Dave’s prediction that the teenager who dreams of a family is on the slide into prostitution.
What’s missing is the drive that turns well-written scenes into a developing drama. And despite strong work by Rachel Brogan as Nikki, the character of Lucy’s sensible sister is not fully worked into the action. But it’s early days for Leo Butler.
Lucy: Lyndsey Marshal
Darren: Simon Trinder
Dave: Wil Johnson
Gonzo: Craig Heaney
Nikki: Rachel Brogan
Jo: Eileen O' Brien
Director: Dominic Cooke
Designer: Robert Innes Hopkins
Lightin: Peter Mumford
Sound: Gareth Fry
Composer: Gary Yershon
Fight director: Terry King
2001-09-23 12:47:21