Fresh out of drama school, Ben Whishaw made his mark as a young Hamlet uttering the immortal lines “To be, or not to be.” That’s not the question he faces in Mike Bartlett’s superbly acted new play, but once again he’s on the horns of a dilemma and his indecisiveness is mesmerising. He plays John, the long-term, live-in lover of a slightly older character succinctly called M.
The performance space has been transformed into a circular arena with the audience raked all round, and the two of them enter from opposite sides in combative mode. It turns out they’re only arguing about John’s lack of cooking talent, but M’s critical remarks are sufficient to expose the rift already lurking in the relationship – and John thinks he wants out. But things prove far more complicated when John then meets determined divorcee W and finds himself the dithering, infuriating centre of a tug of love.
Performed on a bare green stage without a single prop, James Macdonald’s taut, precise production is a feast of fine acting as the protagonist circle, approach and draw apart again. The end of each scene is marked by a bell, as Andrew Scott’s hyper, fault-finding but vulnerable M (with a touch of Graham Norton throwing a hissy fit thrown in) desperately fights to hold on to John. No less impressive is Katherine Parkinson’s gentle but persistent W who shows the previously homosexual John that heterosexual sex has a lot to offer – not least a future with children.
Played straight through without an interval, this is an emotionally perceptive and witty chamber piece which raises questions about the nature of identity and delves into the complexities of an unconventional sexual triangle.
Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS Sloane Square Tube (020 7565 5000). Until 19th December. £10 - £15
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