• 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

Angry at the Southwark Playhouse

February 17, 2018 by Maggie Kelly Leave a Comment

Review of: Angry

Reviewed by: Maggie Kelly
Rating:
3
On February 17, 2018
Last modified:February 17, 2018

Summary:

Confusing blend of monologues just about saved by a striking design and spectacular acting.

More Details

Ridley’s gained notoriety for producing plays that are uncompromising in their brutality and brazen in their emotion. Angry, though, feels slightly confused as to what it wants to be and exactly what sort of point it wants to make – a collection of six very different monologues of varying quality packaged up and thrust unceremoniously in our faces.

Tyrone Huntley and Georgie Henley try their hardest with some very difficult writing; Henley in particular is a tour-de-force, dragging humanity out of stilted situations with a wit and an intelligence that stays visible throughout. Her American housewife promising to banish the words ‘hesitate’ and ‘ponder’ from her vocabulary makes what could be a self-obsessively ‘clever’ monologue (Okay) just about accessible and understandable for a rather bemused audience, before trying her hardest to push the ridiculously underdeveloped Dancing towards a satisfying conclusion. The fact that there are severed heads on the dancefloor, and that this is not an unusual occurrence is a wonderful start to a monologue, but it fizzles out with a sad whimper despite Henley’s masterful comedic timing and judgement.

Huntley also grapples with speeches that push him towards the infuriatingly one-note; screaming at the audience about Bambi for ten minutes with no sense of character development is tricky at the best of times, and Now is just plain confusing; rocketing from an exploded building to an interrogation cell to a spaceship to a black hole in a piece that feels like a postmodern experiment in need of a couple of redrafts. However, the longer Bloodshot is where Huntley’s true talents are released – weaving a tale of a forbidden sexual experience surrounded by a brass band and ducks, Huntley meanders along the diversions of the tale with a gentle arrogance that is thrilling to watch.

And then. And then we hit Air and finally, finally Ridley shows his true colours and we glimpse a spark of method underneath the madness (only a spark). Henley is mouth-gapingly spectacular in this heart-breaking tale of love among dusty hardbacks, ending up her caught underwater in a sinking ship, flashing back to memories of lighter times and counting down to her last breath. It’s a crushing juxtaposition of the mundanity of youth, rose-tinted childhood memories against the irreconcilable confusion of war, with the dust and stenches of death.

Despite the dystopic gloriousness of Air, one wonders what the point of the individual six plays were. The vast majority felt like experiments rather than a unified piece of work, and it seems very bizarre putting the most hard-hitting story right at the end – I walked out of the theatre with the preceding five almost completely forgotten. The set is beautiful, both actors penned in by bars of light, costume design and direction clever, but a unifying factor is missing. One also wonders why Ridley felt the need to swap the monologues around every night – none of the pieces are really that concerned with gender, and it reeks of a gimmick. Some beautiful turns of phrase and explosive acting from both rising stars, but ultimately Angry fails to hit the mark.

 

Author: Maggie Kelly

Filed Under: Featured, Review Tagged With: Georgie Henley, Philip Ridley, Southwark Playhouse, Tyrone Huntley

Join the discussion Cancel reply

INTERVIEW / Fraser Grace talks about Bliss at the Finborough Theatre

Written by Fraser Grace (Breakfast with Mugabe, RSC), Bliss is based on a short story by censored writer Andrey Platonov. It’s at Finborough [Read More]

NEWS / Japanese Romeo and Juliet to the songs of Queen announced

Coming to Sadler’s Wells in September as part of its world tour, A Night At The Kabuki is a retelling [Read More]

INTERVIEW / Paul O’Donnell talks about Shoot Festival

Shoot Festival returns this year with a mix of commissioned pieces and showcases of the best of Coventry’s arts scene. [Read More]

Review / The Man who Knew Too Much at Omnibus Theatre

A packed Omnibus Theatre lapped up the entertaining antics of The Man Who Knew Too Much. Co-Director and Co-writer Olivia [Read More]

Spotlight / Inua Ellams at 05Fest Lewisham

Inua Ellams, the Albany and WE ARE LEWISHAM  presents………. 05Fest, 10 – 19 March Poetry takes front and centre stage [Read More]

Top Posts & Pages

  • 10 Tips to Help You Prepare for Your Reality TV Auditions
  • 5 Stage Elements to Consider for a Rousing Theatrical Production
  • Writing the Perfect Press Release
  • Fraser Grace talks about Bliss at the Finborough Theatre
  • Kim Scopes tells us about Somewhere To Belong
  • Katy Owen: Auditioning for Oxford School of Drama
  • A Streetcar Named Desire- A cry of pain- Young Vic
  • Paul O'Donnell talks about Symphony of Us
  • Crowdfunding In Theatre - An Overview
  • French's Theatre Bookshop Closing After 187 Years
  • Maggie Kelly
    Author

  • February 17th, 2018
  • comment iconNo Comments
  • Facebook22TweetLinkedInEmail

    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 © 2022 · Blue Pie Media

     

    Loading Comments...
     

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

      Email sent!