Tuesday, November 04, 2003

A NIGHT AT THE THEATRE (OR SHOULD IT BE THEATER)

Last night, we schlepped up to Islington to the revamped Alemeida Theatre for Neil LaBute's "The Mercy Seat". Let me start by saying however nice the inside of the refurbished Almeida looks, it is bloody uncomfortable. We had to sit for more than an hour and half with no intermission as the temperature (and boredom) rose. My bum hurt.

The play in a nutshell: "Two people (both rather unsympathetic and totally unsuited for each other) ) shout at each other for an hour and 40 minutes against the backdrop of 9/11." This was a break-up play. Ben (played by former Scottish heartthrob John Hannah - stick to cop programmes, mate) is an unpleasant, thick head shagging his older, wiser (yeah, right), slightly bitter boss, Abby (well played Sinead Cusack!). He should have been at the World Trade Center on that Tuesday morning. Instead his mistress was giving him head and now he thinks he can use this event to run away from his wife and kids.

I spent all but the first five minutes thinking: why on earth did these two get together? They have nothing in common. Even the sex is bad. Ben has no true feelings for Abby. Then at the end, emotional retard Ben delivers a cracking little speech exposing his feelings. God, he HAS feelings! Christ, this is a terrible play! And, why get an Irishwoman and a Scotsman putting on bad New Yawk accents? Heck, New York's full of Scots and Irish - quite a few died in 9/11.

Three good points: nice painting hanging in the set; an amusing passage on doggy style sex ("...reading the mattress tag..."; it's convenient so you don't have to look at your partner); and, with good connections on the tube and trains, we were home and in bed by 10:45.

See what the Guardian thought; the Independent view; and, the Times verdict.

:: Posted by pete @ 14:09