Theatre Royal Brighton – until May 7th 2022
Reviewed by Sue Bradley
5*****
Written in 1964 and premiered in London 1965, the power of Pinter’s writing, and the quality and skill of this production, mean that the themes of familial dysfunction are just as relevant today as they were over fifty years ago when this work deservedly won the Tony for Best Play in 1967.
This is a funny, if dark, exploration of family and relationships and encompasses all of Pinter’s trademark stillness and slower pace, giving us plenty of time for the meaning to sink in.
Teddy, a professor at an American university, returns to his childhood South London home with his wife, Ruth, to find his father, uncle and brothers still living there. What will happen when the emancipated Ruth is thrown into the masculine world of aggression and self-aggrandisement that has shaped this family? The outcomes are not as obvious as they might at first seem, as Ruth becomes more powerful.
Mathew Horne (Star of BBC’s Gavin & Stacey) is Lenny, one of Teddy’s brothers. Playing very much against type, he owns the stage with a creeping menace and really gives us a sense of hidden (and probably unpleasant) depths, with his impressive delivery of long, complex lines.
Keith Allen (The Young Ones, Comic Strip Presents, Trainspotting) as Max, the capricious and bullying patriarch, commands our attention throughout. A nightmare of a father-figure, he cannot be dismissed at any point, as he changes his mood unpredictably, morphing from a sweet character to one that is quite vile.
Shanaya Rafaat (Eastenders, Lewis) is a cool and enigmatic Ruth. We are challenged to make up our own minds about her motivations and the disruption she brings.
The set is dominated by an absurdly long and high staircase disappearing upward into darkness, contributing to the sense of unreality that is one of the cornerstones of this play. No-one and nothing is quite what it seems.
The sound and lighting design are very effective and unobtrusive, except when the lighting is used several times for a particular dramatic effect giving us a surprise and adding to the general air of menace.
Other Cast members are Sam Alexander (Emmerdale, Lady In The Van) as Teddy, Ian Bartholomew (Coronation Street, Into The Woods) as Sam, the mild-mannered brother of Max and Teddy’s uncle, and Geoffrey Lumb as Joey, Teddy’s other brother.
This is not the show for you if you want the simple and efficient clarity of a TV Soap but if you want to be drawn in, challenged and given plenty to think and talk about on your way home, then this production is not to be missed.
Absolutely wonderful.