Life can sometimes present one with welcome surprises.
A recent trip to the local library proved that, even though council funding has been pared to the bone, somehow those in charge of cultural edification still manage to work wonders. The foyer was packed with newly acquired books in just about every genre imaginable. Surprisingly, this included a couple of dozen play scripts.
In an effort to catch up with recent developments, this critic borrowed no fewer than eight and has been pigging out ever since.
Given that the library is about 100 yards away from Hampstead Theatre, it may not be entirely coincidental that four of the plays have premièred at that venue, which seems to be doing remarkably well, given that it has sacrificed the post of Artistic Director to economic constraints.
Ironically, there is no sign of cosy Hampstead drawing rooms or comedies culminating in blissfully happy marriage. Instead, if this selection really is representative of the theatre today and the wider world, there are few tidings of comfort and joy. Instead, almost every play is characterised by reflections on intolerance, instability, often of the political variety, and uncertainty.
Given the changing political climate across so many countries, perhaps that should not come as too much of a surprise.
Here is a brief run through in the order of reading.
Bellringers by Daisy Hall (Hampstead Theatre) is a mysterious, dystopian two-hander that is likely to evoke comparisons with Caryl Churchill with a nod to Waiting for Godot. The subject matter is both chilling and amusing, as two Oxfordshire men await what might be their doom, while the elements collectively threaten the future of mankind.
Brace Brace by Oli Forsyth (Royal Court) is a cleverly written play with hidden depths. A couple find the flight back from their honeymoon, accompanying a stray seven-year-old girl, to be more exciting than expected. What has become known as “a lone actor” attempts to hijack and down the plane, until new wife Sylvia steps into reckless plans. Instead of an action thriller, Oli Forsyth presents a thought-provoking meditation on ethics, morality and criminality, not to mention the bonds of marriage.
King's Troll (The Fawn) by Sonali Bhattacharyya (Kali at New Diorama) attempts, not entirely successfully, to meld a sympathetic exploration of immigrants’ experiences in the United Kingdom today with magic realism, as a fawn takes on almost human form and becomes a Deus Ex Machina. On the written page, one gets an impression that it might have been far more powerful to tell the stories of the immigrants without the metaphysical overlay.
King James by Rajiv Joseph (Hampstead Theatre) is not quite what it seems, since the James of the title is neither an English nor Scottish King but American basketball legend Lebron. Another two-hander follows a pair of die-hard Cleveland-based fans as their hero joins and then leaves their beloved Cavaliers. The result delves was briefly into racism but is primarily an exploration of male bonding.
The Lightest Element by Stella Feehily (Hampstead Theatre) was an unexpected pleasure. Whenever a playwright attempts to bring science to the stage, alarm bells ring as arty types worry about their ability to understand the concepts. However, the life and achievements of astronomer Celia Payne-Gaposchkin are remarkable enough to overcome any misgivings about following some of the extra-planetary stuff. Anyone who saw and enjoyed Anna Ziegler’s Photograph 51 will recognise great similarities as a plucky woman overcomes patronising masculine prejudice to receive much-deserved but belated acclaim.
The New Real by David Edgar (Headlong and Royal Shakespeare Company) delves into the murky world of Eastern European politics in the recent past but, in doing so, focuses very sharply on contemporary developments in the United States, much of Europe and the United Kingdom.
David Edgar is one of the few playwrights today who work is so characteristic that it is instantly recognisable. This piece follows the activities of duelling spin doctors as they help to reshape the political landscape in an unnamed country, respectively aiding a capitalist who soon forgoes idealism for greed and a prospective dictator who seems primed to receive assistance from his Russian neighbours.
Reykjavík by Richard Bean (Hampstead Theatre) takes on territory that will be familiar to those who saw this writer’s earlier play Under the Whaleback almost 20 years ago. Once again, Bean tells tragic tales of the fisherfolk from his native Hull under great stress.
Following the sinking of another vessel of the merchant fleet, the owner flies out from Hull to Reykjavík and spends a drunken evening with four survivors, spinning tall and/or true tales that have something in common with those related in Conor MacPherson’s The Weir.
Giant by Mark Rosenblatt (Royal Court) was undoubtedly one of the most lauded plays of the last year and transfers to the West End this spring. It follows the consequences after much-loved but irascible children’s author Roald Dahl exposes antisemitic tendencies. The events involving his UK publisher, Tom Maschler, and a female American counterpart, both Jewish, speak against prejudice half a century ago but also tangentially address the Middle East crisis post 7 October.
To widen the scope, Atlantic Magazine has published the text of one of New York’s best plays of the year, McNeal by Ayad Akhtar (Lincoln Center Theatre). Many writers rejoice in the past, but this multi-layered work is something special, addressing the introduction of AI into the literary sphere through the medium of a Nobel-winning author, who shares many traits with Bellow, Updike and Roth.
In several cases, reading the script makes one yearn to see the play on stage, none more so than The Lightest Element and especially Giant, for which director Sir Nicholas Hytner welcomed a star cast with John Lithgow in the eponymous role alongside Elliot Levey, Rachael Stirling and Romola Garai, amongst others.
The conclusion is that great playwriting is still on offer at a theatre (or library) despite the financial strictures affecting so many theatres today.