at The Comedy Theatre, Panton Street, London, W1
London-production category: West End
Review by: Alexa Williamson
Alongside Noel Coward, he is currently London’s hottest playwright and anything by him will, rightly, sell well because of the strength of script alone.
Currently on stage at one of his favourite venues are two of his 29 plays, which have been keenly coupled together, and focus on the dynamics of, and problems that face, normal middle class couples.
The Lover and The Collection centre on extra-marital affairs. In the first of the two hour-long shows, The Lover, Richard (Richard Coyle) and Sarah (Gina McKee) spice up their daily life with some role playing.
After Richard kisses his wife and goes off to work, he comes back later in the day as her ‘lover’. At first, the couple seem happy with the ‘zing’ this adds to their relationship. However, after Richard starts complaining about his wife and ‘his lover’, the toll that this takes on Sarah becomes obvious.
The dialog, with all of Pinter’s pieces is solid and perhaps there are a lot of impressive mind games and hidden complexities woven into this play. However, the acting and direction, although good, are uninspired and dilute any of these delicious, unexpected twists and turns.
However, after seeing the second piece, The Collection, which stars Timothy West, it’s more obvious that the first piece simply isn’t as strong as this one.
The Collection is a masterpiece that has earned Pinter his reputation (alongside The Birthday Party, The Hothouse and The Homecoming). Every line in The Collection is a brain teaser that leads to a wonderful mood of suspense throughout the play. A tightly wound chord of anticipation is wound within you, which – like an itch – you desperately want assuaged.
An affair takes place in The Collection – or does it? This is the question that cuckolded husband James (Coyle) is desperately and aggressively trying to answer. Invading the lives of young, attractive dress designer Bill (Charlie Cox) and his older partner Harry (Timothy West), first with an anonymous phone call and then in the flesh, James begins his queries. Did his wife Stella (McKee), a decorative model, really sleep with Bill at a Leeds hotel? Or, did they just ‘talk’ as the cute and boyish lothario says and Harry also suggests?
The excellent acting byCox and West, coupled with the superlative script of the play, make for the edge-of-your-seat theatre that the audience had been waiting for all night. West adds a great crotchety and sagacious edge to the storyline with his character. And meanwhile, Cox is the fantastic star of the show as he charms you with his character’s alternatingly innocent and clever responses to Bill to keep him guessing.
Fabulously played out, in particular by these two actors (who you wish had been there to aid The Lover) , this production of The Collection demonstrates why it was named “one of the best plays of the twentieth century” by Laurence Olivier.
Overall, a worthwhile night at the theatre, particularly for the The Collection.
Further information:
The Lover – synopsis (Wikipedia)
The Collection – synopsis (Wikipedia)
Harold Pinter – biography (Wikipedia)
Comedy Theatre (official site)
Twentieth Century British playwrights – list (Wikipedia)
[...] Theatre review: The Lover/The Collection by Harold Pinter « The London Reviewer Theatre review: The Lover/The Collection by Harold Pinter at The Comedy Theatre, Panton Street, London, W1 London type: West End Rating: ***1/2 (out of 5) Review by: Alexa Williamson [...]