ROARING TRADE. To 7 February.
London.
Roaring Trade, to Feb 7
By Steve Thompson.
Soho Theatre 21 Dean Street W1D 3NE To 7 February 2009.
Mon-Sat 7.30pm Mat Sat 3pm.
Audio-described 4 Feb.
BSL Signed 24 Jan. 09 Captioned 5 Feb.
Runs 1hr 30min No interval.
TICKETS 020 7478 0100.
www.sohotheatre.com
Review: Carole Woddis 15 January.
Roaring success at the one-line level.
Between them, Paines Plough and Soho Theatre must have notched up a good many firsts. Paines Plough has been a forcing house and launch pad for new writers for nearly 35 years. And this co-production with Soho marks the beginning of Soho Theatre celebrating 40 years dedicated to new writing.
As such, you could say they’ve got off to a roaring start. Steve Thompson burst on to the scene five years ago with Damages, a scathing look at journalistic values (or lack of them), followed by the political farce Whipping It Up, another walloping success, set in the Whips’ office.
Roaring Trade sees Thompson turning his attention, with peculiarly apt timing, to the money markets. In scenes reminiscent of Caryl Churchill’s Serious Money (though without the verse), Thompson charts the cut-throat, dog eat dog buzz of financial dealing and its questionable, not to say amoral, values.
Some of this we’ve seen before, and better done by Churchill. Thompson lacks the gravitas of his predecessor’s moral and political analysis. There’s no real attempt to place his double-dealing characters – Jess, Donny, PJ and Spoon - in anything other than their own, personal rancid stews. But within its limitations – and fascinatingly, as with Serious Money, the night I saw a performance, the City slickers and their escorts were out in force; nothing like seeing yourself on the stage, no matter how unflattering the guise – Thompson sure knows how to turn a line. If it’s one-liners you’re after, Roaring Trade offers them by the bucket-load.
In an embarassingly entertaining evening, Andrew Scott gives us another sizzling portrait of moral and spiritual ineptitude as Donny, the cockney/Essex-type wide-boy dealer. Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Jess makes a fine, cynical counterpart to JP’s gruesomely materialistic wife, Sandy (Susan Vidler) whilst Nicholas Tennant’s JP, looking as though he hasn’t been near a shaver never mind a fresh shirt in months and Christian Roe as the spoon-fed, well connected newcomer, Spoon give full measure.
Roxana Silbert’s production nicely catches the adrenalin rush of such surroundings. But it’s Scott who gives Roaring Trade it’s mercurial, waspish heart.
Jess: Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Donny: Andrew Scott.
PJ: Nicolas Tennant.
Spoon: Christian Roe.
Sean: Jack O’Connor.
Sandy: Susan Vidler.
Director: Roxana Silbert.
Designer: Kandis Cook.
Lighting: Wolfgang Goebbel.
Sound: Matt McKenzie.
IT & Media Designer: Matt Kirby.
2009-01-24 01:37:56