GOK
One Too Many
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- Raxacoricofallapatorius
OK, so it's theatre and not cinema but I have to share this with you. If anyone gets the chance to see it, then do - it's amazing!
Trafalgar Studio, London.
I managed to get a sneaky photo using my phone, hence the low quality. This was as the audience was taking its seats. Jason and Lee were both already on stage as we filed in, so we immediately felt a sense of....voyeurism I suppose.
For those not familiar with Pinter's work, most of his plays are set in small spaces that give the audience the impression of the characters being imprisoned. TDW was no different. At face value, the play is very comic in places but actually, it's a very tragic reflection on class, society and the traps we find ourselves in.
Pinter always uses very specific dialogue to illustrate the motifs of his work and to get the message across, as well as very physical representations. So Lee Evans' cockney accent and agitated demeanour were very representative not merely of his social class but also his place in it as he saw it. Jason's character on the other hand, was quiet and thoughtful. Everything he said and did was calculated for effect. So much so that one actually felt assaulted at times by his words! He was brilliant!
A lot of people have - and probably will continue to - focus primarily on Lee's character, Gus because he is often seen as the protagonist. However, for me, Ben (Jason) was far more interesting. Not because my absolute favourite actor played him but because of the stark difference to Gus. With Gus, what you saw was what you got but Ben was something different altogether.
Here was a man who was not comfortable with his social class. So much so that he had an apparent burning need to be something other than what he was. He needed others to believe he was better bred, better educated, better heeled. But of course, for all his reading broadsheet newspapers, talk of hobbies and pretence at understanding 'fancy food', he was in fact actually quite ignorant. I found this to be immensely tragic - after all, if a person is not only uncomfortable with who and what they are but also lacks the means or nous to rectify it, what chance of real happiness and fulfillment do they have?
One of the things that really stood out for me was the way in which the costumes were also used as metaphors for the characters' personalities. Gus was decidedly shabby but wore it appropriately. He didn't seem to even notice that his trousers were too short, nor that his socks didn't match his attire. Or even that they were holey and one of his braces was broken! Ben on the other hand, obviously believed that his suit was 'posh' and so other people would think of him as higher class. However, the fact that the shoes looked cheap and nasty, the trousers and jacket weren't well tailored and that the shirt was too large, all pointed to him not quite pulling it off because really, you can take the boy out of the slums but not the slums out of the boy! I realise this is all going to sound very snobby but the above was kind of the point of the play. Horrible people in a horrible situation. For me, there were three dumb waiters on stage and only one of them was mechanical!
As with Waiting for Godot, there is one character with less brainpower, that is overwhelmed and bullied by the other. In TDW, it was Gus. Although Ben's bullying wasn't overt, it was nonetheless, menacing. Gus was the kind of man in awe of anything he percieved to be better than he (which was most things!), so the titular Dumb Waiter became a metaphor for a voice from 'on high' for Gus (again, similar to WfG).
So what about Jason Isaacs? As ever, he was the consummate professional, paying attention to every little detail. Despite the fact that there he was, standing in front of me, so close I could see his eyes, I found it incredibly difficult to be attracted to him...even with his hot new goatee (and this is the man that never fails to make me weak at the knees!). This for me is the mark of an excellent actor - to be able to make me forget the man (or woman) and completely believe the character.
The curtain call was lovely because suddenly it was Jason and Lee there on stage - beaming and laughing. Not Gus and Ben. A much welcome relief from the tension of the past hour.
I urge everyone to see this play, go away, think about it and then go and see it again! I'm already checking my diary for a free evening to see it again!
Oh, I forgot to mention the set - it was perfect. It wonderfully reinforced the feeling of claustrophobia! An amazing, amazing creation. I hope it at least gets a nomination for a design award.
Trafalgar Studio, London.
I managed to get a sneaky photo using my phone, hence the low quality. This was as the audience was taking its seats. Jason and Lee were both already on stage as we filed in, so we immediately felt a sense of....voyeurism I suppose.
For those not familiar with Pinter's work, most of his plays are set in small spaces that give the audience the impression of the characters being imprisoned. TDW was no different. At face value, the play is very comic in places but actually, it's a very tragic reflection on class, society and the traps we find ourselves in.
Pinter always uses very specific dialogue to illustrate the motifs of his work and to get the message across, as well as very physical representations. So Lee Evans' cockney accent and agitated demeanour were very representative not merely of his social class but also his place in it as he saw it. Jason's character on the other hand, was quiet and thoughtful. Everything he said and did was calculated for effect. So much so that one actually felt assaulted at times by his words! He was brilliant!
A lot of people have - and probably will continue to - focus primarily on Lee's character, Gus because he is often seen as the protagonist. However, for me, Ben (Jason) was far more interesting. Not because my absolute favourite actor played him but because of the stark difference to Gus. With Gus, what you saw was what you got but Ben was something different altogether.
Here was a man who was not comfortable with his social class. So much so that he had an apparent burning need to be something other than what he was. He needed others to believe he was better bred, better educated, better heeled. But of course, for all his reading broadsheet newspapers, talk of hobbies and pretence at understanding 'fancy food', he was in fact actually quite ignorant. I found this to be immensely tragic - after all, if a person is not only uncomfortable with who and what they are but also lacks the means or nous to rectify it, what chance of real happiness and fulfillment do they have?
One of the things that really stood out for me was the way in which the costumes were also used as metaphors for the characters' personalities. Gus was decidedly shabby but wore it appropriately. He didn't seem to even notice that his trousers were too short, nor that his socks didn't match his attire. Or even that they were holey and one of his braces was broken! Ben on the other hand, obviously believed that his suit was 'posh' and so other people would think of him as higher class. However, the fact that the shoes looked cheap and nasty, the trousers and jacket weren't well tailored and that the shirt was too large, all pointed to him not quite pulling it off because really, you can take the boy out of the slums but not the slums out of the boy! I realise this is all going to sound very snobby but the above was kind of the point of the play. Horrible people in a horrible situation. For me, there were three dumb waiters on stage and only one of them was mechanical!
As with Waiting for Godot, there is one character with less brainpower, that is overwhelmed and bullied by the other. In TDW, it was Gus. Although Ben's bullying wasn't overt, it was nonetheless, menacing. Gus was the kind of man in awe of anything he percieved to be better than he (which was most things!), so the titular Dumb Waiter became a metaphor for a voice from 'on high' for Gus (again, similar to WfG).
So what about Jason Isaacs? As ever, he was the consummate professional, paying attention to every little detail. Despite the fact that there he was, standing in front of me, so close I could see his eyes, I found it incredibly difficult to be attracted to him...even with his hot new goatee (and this is the man that never fails to make me weak at the knees!). This for me is the mark of an excellent actor - to be able to make me forget the man (or woman) and completely believe the character.
The curtain call was lovely because suddenly it was Jason and Lee there on stage - beaming and laughing. Not Gus and Ben. A much welcome relief from the tension of the past hour.
I urge everyone to see this play, go away, think about it and then go and see it again! I'm already checking my diary for a free evening to see it again!
Oh, I forgot to mention the set - it was perfect. It wonderfully reinforced the feeling of claustrophobia! An amazing, amazing creation. I hope it at least gets a nomination for a design award.
