A super busy week in the cultural fields of London, but very exciting! It started with a revival of Simon Stephens's Punk Rock at the Hammersmith Lyric. It's a school drama about teenagers – allegedly one of the best plays of 2009, but left me angry and disappointed. No way these kids would hang out together in real life and use that sort of language. It's not worth describing much, just to say that I couldn't wait for the end.
A very different experience at the Royal Court, where they are showing Wanderlust and Clybourne Park. The Royal Court never lets you down and both these plays are simply fantastic. Upstairs in Wanderlust a married couple is having problems with their sex life – a woman wants tenderness and love whereas a man is hungry for sex. A simple traditional story, but it is told in the incredibly funny way by Nick Payne. I saw his previous play at the Bush, which was promising, and with Wanderlust Payne has proved himself as a brilliant young playwright. 
Clybourne Park downstairs sparks fireworks. It is also very funny, but in here we laugh at the racism and political correctness. The play is divided into two parts. A couple in white neighbourhood sells their house to a black couple in the 1950s. That causes an outrage between neighbours and we witness their worries how the sale devalues their properties. In the second half the tables have turned and the same house now is being bought by a white couple and the neighbourhood is predominantly black. It's 2009, so there is a lot of politeness and talk about holidays until they open the can of worms and start accusing each other being racists. It's all rather delicious, although the fact that most is what people think is a bit worrying.
No comments:
Post a Comment