• Advertise
  • Request Review
  • Write for Us
  • Privacy
  • Login

Theatre Bubble

The UK Theatre Network

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Features
  • Spotlight
  • Opinions
  • Interviews
  • Guides
  • Ed Fringe

Harrogate at the Royal Court

October 26, 2016 by Fergus Morgan Leave a Comment

Review of: Harrogate
Produced by:
HighTide
Price:
£15-20

Reviewed by: Fergus Morgan
Rating:
4
On October 26, 2016
Last modified:October 26, 2016

Summary:

A welcome return of Richard Twyman's absorbing production of Al Smith's slippery two-hander

More Details

Al Smith turned heads at this year’s Edinburgh Festival with his fiery, gripping adaptation of Gogol’s Diary Of A Madman. Now, Richard Twyman’s critically-acclaimed production of Smith’s two-hander  Harrogate, which first ran at the 2015 HighTide Festival, has returned, running briefly at the Royal Court before a national tour. It remains a compellingly elusive play, slickly staged and devastatingly powerful.

Nigel Lindsay steps into Nick Sidi’s shoes as an ageing, arms-folded, ex-alpha male – the kind of man who phrases questions as statements. Sarah Ridgeway reprises her enigmatic performance as the three women in his life: his cleaner, his daughter, and his wife. Not that as much is obvious, even by the show’s conclusion. Smith’s writing is deliciously slippery throughout, swerving and veering from false assumption to false assumption. One is never sure exactly who conversations are taking place between, or whether they are taking place at all. The audience is always playing catch-up.

All that can be said with certainty is that Lindsay’s father-figure has a squeamishly close relationship with his fifteen year-old daughter, that he and his wife are far from married bliss, and that he is febrile and torn about the whole thing. Over the course of three superbly developed conversations, Smith explores the darkest recesses of the father’s mind, prodding, poking and turning over rocks until his soul is exposed in a chillingly fitting conclusion.

harrogate-sarah-ridgeway-her-and-nigel-lindsayroyalcourtharrogateproduction-c-richard-lakos1-700x455

Both Lindsay and Ridgeway are perfectly cast. Ridgeway has the enviable ability to play a girl of fifteen and a mother of 40-something and make both seem utterly convincing. Her hair-twirling, Bailey’s-swilling, swift-texting teenager is a cocktail of nascent sexuality and childish innocence. Her middle-aged mum is a world-wearied wreck, painfully aware of the failures in her marriage but determined to stick it out with a black humour and a glass of whiskey. Lindsay is equally impressive, calm and considered but clearly vulnerable to the end.

Twyman’s direction is careful and precise on Tom Piper’s sterile, white, open-plan set. But the real star here is Smith. His searing dialogue zings back and forth, leading the audience down the garden path and back again, barely disguising the myriad turbulent emotions bubbling beneath the service. It’s almost Pineter-esque at points: monosyllabic but infinitely articulate, and occasionally breaking into cryptic, gut-wrenchingly moving parables.

It’s an enormous shame that Harrogate is only running at the Jerwood Upstairs for less than a fortnight before its short National tour. Such absorbing, intelligent new writing deserves a much wider exposure. Catch it if you can – just don’t bring your daughter along.

Twelfth Night will be continuing its run at the Royal Court at 19:45 until 29th October. You can book your tickets from 020 7565 5000 or http://www.royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/harrogate/?tab=1

CAST AND CREW

Director: Richard Twyman
Stage Manager: Julia Nimmo
Designer: Tom Piper
Lighting Designer: Natasha Chivers
Sound Designer: George Dennis
Cast: Nigel Lindsay, Sarah Ridgeway

Avatar

Author: Fergus Morgan

Filed Under: Review

Join the discussion Cancel reply

NEWS / Living Record Festival of digital arts announces programme

Living Record Festival is a month-long Digital Arts Festival curating and presenting over 40 original pieces from a range of [Read More]

INTERVIEW / Open Bar on A ChristMESS CAROL

Tell us about Open Bar Theatre and also how you came about and how the name came about. OBT: Open Bar [Read More]

NEWS / Ayomide Adegun awarded The Luke Westlake Scholarship 2020

22 year old South Londoner Ayomide Adegun is currently in his 2nd year of the BA Acting course at Royal [Read More]

NEWS / Late Night Staring at High Res Pixels announced

A new play repurposed for online viewing from the creative team behind Scrounger, and the first of the Finborough Theatre’s [Read More]

NEWS / Crimes Against Christmas becomes an audio advent calendar

Typically at this time of year theatre company New Old Friends would have just finished an Autumn tour and be [Read More]

Top Posts & Pages

  • 10 Tips to Help You Prepare for Your Reality TV Auditions
  • Katy Owen: Auditioning for Oxford School of Drama
  • 5 Stage Elements to Consider for a Rousing Theatrical Production
  • Is this the real location of Ambridge?
  • Does Small to Mid Scale Theatre Touring Actually Work?
  • Katy Owen: How to Apply to Drama Schools*
  • Katy Owen: LAMDA Audition (First Round)
  • Interview with John Ward, director of Electra at the Bunker Theatre
  • Crowdfunding In Theatre - An Overview
  • Jane Eyre at the National Theatre
  • Avatar

    Fergus Morgan
    Contributor

  • October 26th, 2016
  • comment iconNo Comments
  • Facebook3TweetLinkedInEmail

    Newsletter

    Enjoyed what you've read? Get even more great content directly to your inbox - Completely Free

    About Theatre Bubble

    Theatre Bubble is the news, review and blogging site created by Blue Pie Media and run by a dedicated team of outstanding editors and writers: we're always looking for new contributors - to find out more click here.

    Contact Us

    News: news@theatrebubble.com
    Reviews: reviews@theatrebubble.com
    Website: webmaster@theatrebubble.com

    Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2021 · Blue Pie Media

    Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

    Email sent!