Good Night Out Presents
MAKE MINE A DOUBLE: FRY & LEY
Latin! Writers: Stephen Fry / Duncan Ley
Directors: Adam Spreadbury-Maher / Nathan Godkin
Stage Manager: Narin Cakir
Cock Tavern Theatre
23 June – 11 July 09
C A review by Alexandra Carey for EXTRA! EXTRA!
Forgive the cliché as I attempt to impart some wisdom on you, the person reading this review: to succeed, you have to lead by example. Whether it’s out on the battlefield with a gun in your hand or sitting in your grandparents’ basement with a dingy lamp and a black ball-point pen, the song remains the same – you need to lead by example. Show them how it’s done and the rest will follow suit with equal success or, tragic failure. Now this may seem like we’ve gone on a random and rather bizarre tangent (forgive me once again), but it’s actually very fitting. In fact, this is perhaps the best way to analyse the show currently gracing the Cock Tavern Theatre this fortnight. Produced by Good Night Out Presents, Make Mine A Double gives you two plays for the price of one. The first, a modern classic written by a living legend and the second, an entirely new piece of theatre by a young writer. Before we can discuss the evening as a whole, it’s only fair to analyse each play separately, so no better place to start than the first production. Entitled Latin! Or Tobacco and Boys, this was a play written back in 1980 by the enigmatic Stephen Fry. It is 1970, and a young schoolmaster is scheming to become the head master of his prep school. Unfortunately for him, his sexual escapades with a 13-year old pupil are uncovered by another teacher, leading to attempted blackmail. This has vintage Fry wit stamped all over it, with a beautifully written script that is almost flawless. With clever innuendos and hilarious characters, the only thing that could stop this script from working is the acting. You’d therefore be pleased to know that Fry’s script was not tarnished at all. In fact, this was a performance that Stephen Fry would be proud of. Matthew Burton (as Dominic) and Mark White (Brookshaw) are absolutely superb. Burton is sensational, both in his semi-improvised tirades at the audience and his comic timing in response to White. White, himself, is fantastic, playing the role of a sexually frustrated old man with brilliance. The chemistry they share is worth the applause alone, and they keep the audience hanging on every word. After Fry’s script and Adam Spreadbury-Maher’s direction leading by example (excuse the pun), the interval is then followed by Duncan Ley’s original script – Last Drinks. Four men sit in a bar, awaiting the call for last drinks whilst engaged in surreal discussions about their existence. With constant references made to a destructive wind outside, the true nature of their presence in the bar is in question. Time is running out for them as they try to work out why they are there and how they can leave. Like the first play, Last Drinks is a dark comedy, but the similarities end there. Having no real sense of place or time, this is as surreal as it gets. The characters are short of memory, and this is the basis for the well-written script. Good use of repetition and wordplay keeps the production flowing along nicely at the start, but begins to grind on the audience as it continues. With so much emphasis being placed on their confusion, we also start to feel it by the end, not creating the desired effect to its full potential. The decision to deliberately stretch the play as long as possible to create impatience is a risky one, and could have backfired. The acting, once again, was superb too. Burton and White make appearances again, but the play definitely belongs to Peter James (Portoz), Fanos Xenofos (Stout) and Michael Grinter (Mead). Portoz and Stout are very well-developed characters and, like in Latin!…, the two actors share a brilliant chemistry. Grinter, meanwhile, is admirable in his depiction of old man Mead. He is the first to draw a laugh at the beginning of the play and continues to do so throughout, be it from breaking into song or simply shuffling along the stage. The fact is, though, that this wasn’t a bad play at all. What could be seen as flaws of the play are not by general consensus – it could be seen from the response to the action that the audience was divided in its opinion. While some felt the play was grating at times, others appreciated the risks taken by the writer and director, and that was arguably their intention. The question remains now: did Last Drinks live up to the standard set by Latin!…? It’s safe to say that the first production did indeed lead by example. Well-written, well-directed and well-acted, it lived up to expectations. It is also safe to say that the second play was not at the same level, but that is to be expected from a piece of new and original writing. Frankly, Last Drinks is neither an equal success or a tragic failure. Instead, and thankfully, the play stands on it’s own as an ambitious and admirable production. Fry may have led by example but Ley has definitely set a standard of his own.
Tuesday – Saturday 7.30pm; Sunday 5pm
£12 (£10 concessions) The Cock Tavern Theatre, 125 Kilburn High Road, London, NW6 6JH http://www.cocktaverntheatre.com Box Office: 08444 771 000
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