London: The Plays (Part Two)

Long Day’s Journey Into Night ★★★ / For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy ★★★★★ / Remembrance Monday ★★★ / Spirited Away ★★★1/2

Ironically these four plays all played within a few blocks of each other despite the fact they come from very different places – one is a big star-filled West End play, one a black box fringe show, another a critically adored transfer from a respected smaller theatre, and one a big extravaganza on an operatic scale. This kind of variety is why I love London.

I’ve already published thoughts on a variety of other plays here, and here as well.

LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT ★★★

Written by Eugene O’Neil. Wyndham’s Theatre, London.

This was an unexpected treat as a friend couldn’t attend and gave me their very good tickets. Starring Brian Cox and Patricia Clarkson, this is one of the hot West End shows and the audience was packed. 

Shame it was so dull.

Cox and Clarkson’s sonorous voices wrapped around the rich text, but something felt… well like it was running on autopilot. Nothing felt fresh or revelatory, just exactly what you expect from these two great performers. Which is exactly what the audience wanted I suppose. 

Am I glad I saw it? Definitely. Both Cox and Clarkson are excellent. I think I would have preferred some slightly more unexpected casting to bring a new flavor to this very familiar story but this one does exactly what it sets out to do. Undoubtably high quality theatre, just a bit uninspired. Maybe jet lag influenced my feelings here.

FOR BLACK BOYS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE HUE GETS TOO HEAVY ★★★★★

Written by Ryan Calais Cameron. Garrick Theatre, London.

Wow! This one is a real astonishing piece of theatre that drew a new audience in. Six black men discuss the complexities of growing up male and black in Britain. Multi-layered and surprisingly funny (with a lot more music than I expected), it played with stereotypes and the expectations we place on black men and the empowering and limiting ways black culture influences each. 

This is one of those plays that has everything you want. It has a clear, in-your-face social commentary, action, comedy, tenderness and a positivity the title may deny. It is told with brilliantly reserved stagecraft that is focused on delivering its message to the audience that needs to hear it.

The thing that really grabbed me was the way this audience reacted. A mixture of the “regular” UK theatre set (predominantly white middle class, retirees and tourists), black couples & groups, and a school group. The audience was laughing and engaged, vocal in their recognisition and appreciation of the stories being shared… till one of the characters talks about being black and gay. A group of men in the audience loudly reacted in shock and disgust, quickly shushed by the audience. The performers were undeterred, but there was a harsher edge to the scene’s closing monologue about the extra difficulties facing queer blackness. The whole mini episode made me more excited for the show – that has clearly reached out beyond the bog standard crowd.

For Black Boys… was probably the best thing I saw on my whole trip (People, Places and Things would be the only other contender) and I really hope we get a local production sooner rather than later.

REMEMBRANCE MONDAY ★★★

Written by Michael Batten. Seven Dials Playhouse, London.

Stepping away from the fun and grandeur of other shows, this is a fringe two-hander that at first glance seems to be about a couple starting to drift apart, but reveals itself to be a study of early onset dementia. Spoiler alert, but for all the skin on stage, this one doesn’t have a happy ending.

I wasn’t a fan of playwright Michael Batten’s last play, Self Tape, but Remembrance Monday sees him playing with form and the rhythms of dialogue in a much more interesting way. While the staging hits a lot of classic “gay play” tropes (semi-naked, handsome young actors, lots of bathroom scenes etc), it’s when the story veers away from the relationship and into the mental state of Julius (Nick Hayes) that things get interesting. 

But the play can’t escape the gravity of its situation and as Julius’ decline continues, the play gets darker and darker till it hits an end point. Not a happy-go-lucky night out, but a great chance to see Hayes and costar Matthew Stathers play some hard drama. 

It’s also a good example of seeing gay characters in dramatic situations that aren’t all about their sexuality. As Julius fixates on one particular Monday night, we only discover why near the very end, the focus isn’t really on the events but on Julius’ mental decline.

SPIRITED AWAY ★★★1/2

Adapted by John Cairo and Maoko Imai. Based on the film by Hayao Miyazaki. London Coliseum.

I’ll start by saying I enjoy Miyazaki films but I am not as enamored with them as many film-friends of mine. Of them all, Spirited Away is the one I know the best.

A faithful adaptation, almost too faithful, the stage production works hard to bring the wild fluidity of the original hand-drawn animation to life with some wildly inventive puppetry. There is nothing really new here in terms of storytelling technology, but this is all about the scale.

The relatively simple set is a central building on a revolve, the spin is generally fast enough that simple scene changes flow organically. The staging itself is simply the backdrop for this cast of magical characters to fill the space.

The performances are on the level of a Japanese pantomime. Broad and over-the-top, it has an operatic feel which suits the London Coliseum well. It’s a huge opera house, a subtle performance wouldn’t translate.

Some of the spectacle works marvelously. Watching No Face grow and become more menacing was joyous (even if the mouth looked comical). Seeing a dragon fly through the air as a puppet with ribbons is so simple, but also elegant to watch. It was easy to ignore the puppeteers and just focus on the characters.

The crowd of fans was clearly loving every second of it, and as much as I was enjoying the spectacle, I can’t say I felt particularly moved by any of it. Like an adult watching a kids show, everything was too simplistic.