Tennessee Williams’ two-hander has returned to The Hampstead Theatre, where it originally debuted in 1967, for a revival directed by Sam Yates.
We’ll start by saying that The Two Character Play is a well put-together piece of theatre. Tennessee Williams’ complicated play-within-a-play, which follows the lives of brother and sister duo Felice (Zubin Varla) and Clare (Kate O’Flynn), is an impressive achievement. The staging looks the part, there’s some clever use of tech throughout and we enjoyed the musical elements. Having said all that, this is one of Tennessee Williams’ more experimental works and this revival is a challenging and complex piece of theatre which left us feeling pretty uncomfortable at times.
The premise is that the brother and sister actor duo have been on the road far too long, and their troupe have abandoned them just before a show is due to start. With only each other and limited resources at their disposal, they put on the one show in their repertoire that they can perform without the rest of their ensemble – the titular Two Character Play. Based largely on the life of Williams’ sister Rose, who spent much of her time confined in a psychiatric institution, the play heavily focuses on issues surrounding mental health. Aside from a few witty quips in the text, the tone is pretty bleak throughout and there are a handful of scenes which are difficult to watch.
Photography by Marc Brenner
The post The Two Character Play is a challenging and experimental revival – review appeared first on GAY TIMES.
The Two Character Play is a challenging and experimental revival – review
Tennessee Williams’ two-hander has returned to The Hampstead Theatre, where it originally debuted in 1967, for a revival directed by Sam Yates.
We’ll start by saying that The Two Character Play is a well put-together piece of theatre. Tennessee Williams’ complicated play-within-a-play, which follows the lives of brother and sister duo Felice (Zubin Varla) and Clare (Kate O’Flynn), is an impressive achievement. The staging looks the part, there’s some clever use of tech throughout and we enjoyed the musical elements. Having said all that, this is one of Tennessee Williams’ more experimental works and this revival is a challenging and complex piece of theatre which left us feeling pretty uncomfortable at times.
The premise is that the brother and sister actor duo have been on the road far too long, and their troupe have abandoned them just before a show is due to start. With only each other and limited resources at their disposal, they put on the one show in their repertoire that they can perform without the rest of their ensemble – the titular Two Character Play. Based largely on the life of Williams’ sister Rose, who spent much of her time confined in a psychiatric institution, the play heavily focuses on issues surrounding mental health. Aside from a few witty quips in the text, the tone is pretty bleak throughout and there are a handful of scenes which are difficult to watch.
Photography by Marc Brenner
The post The Two Character Play is a challenging and experimental revival – review appeared first on GAY TIMES.
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