THE TIMEKEEPERS: Clancy, Old Red Lion, till 24 November

THE TIMEKEEPERS: Dan Clancy
Old Red Lion, Angel, Islington: Tkts 020 7837 7861
Runs: 2h, one interval, till 24 November 2001
Review: Vera Lustig, 21 November

Intelligent play, which unfortunately turns into a thriller midway. Superb acting, excellent sound score
The scene, a concentration camp cell. The badges on the inmates' filthy, tattered pyjamas provide the only splash of colour in the purgatory, with its eerie sounds of clanging doors, Hitler's demagogic rants, chilly chords, ticking watches and snatches of opera (sound, Martin Fisher).

The criminal's green emblem is worn by a beetle-browed inmate elevated to the position of Capo (George McAllister). Oppression does not necessarily ennoble, or foster solidarity. So the Capo torments his underlings, a Jewish watchmaker, Benjamin, and a gay, Hans.

Benjamin (Forbes Masson, a quietly devastating portrayal of clenched resignation) in turn oppresses the younger man. The nervily jokey Hans (a gaunt Tom Edden) is at his colleague's mercy. He has finagled his way into the watchmaker's cell to avoid becoming a laboratory guinea pig. To survive he must learn the craft, but Benjamin, repelled, is recalcitrant. Hans, who describes himself as 'a whore, a quarter of a horologist', bribes Benjamin with scraps of jam sandwich and snippets of information about his scattered family, both gleaned from his clients. An edgy comradeship grows in tiny, gingerly steps, punctuated by outbursts of bigoted rage, and is cemented by a shared love of opera.

It is in the scenes of reluctant camaraderie that both play and production soar, so fine-tuned is the writing, so exquisitely nuanced the acting. Sadly, Clancy thickens the plot, blunting the play's edge. The final twist shows Benjamin to be tragically institutionalised.

Forbes Masson makes this capitulation utterly credible. He is broken by the death of his daydreaming daughter. His tears flow as he recalls seeing her in a dream, laid out in her favourite dress – a green plaid with white collar and red belt – that she will never again have to take off.

Cast:
9355: Tom Edden
1793: Forbes Masson
Capo: George McAllister

Director: Ken McClymont
Costume: Iris Hills
Lighting: Frank Usher
Sound: Martin Fisher

2001-11-23 23:17:05