Flynn - Bryan Dick
Oskar - Daniel Evans
Old Man - Geoff Leesley
Paul - Nigel Lindsay
Jennifer - Doon Mackichan
Martin - Frank McCusker
Miranda - Hattie Morahan
Directed by Simon Godwin
Part of the off the wall season.
Seen in the Royal Court downstairs around about tea-time.
Celeb in the Audience - Navin Chowdhry
A weekend trip away from the city descends into a few hours of unimaginable horror that change the lives of three couples forever.
I have seen this title (Schwarzes Tier Traurigkeit) translated as "Black Beast", "Black Beast Sorrow" and on the flyer they used "Sadness" but you get the idea.
A bunch of friends go for a picnic in a wooded area and light a careless barbecue which ends in disaster. We explore their relationships to each other on the way.
Jennifer used to be married to Paul but they broke up and he now has a baby, Gloria with his partner, Miranda. Oskar is Jennifer's brother and his partner is Martin. Jennifer has a new partner too - Flynn and he catches the eye of Martin. The partnerships get muddled in the the disaster.
Very sharp and witty writing performed with seamless grace. Frank McCusker is intoxicating and if anyone just thinks of Hattie in her tv roles they have missed the ethereal beauty of her stage presence. Tonight she was radiant.
This was originally going to be directed by Mark Ravenhill which would have been wonderful but I have nothing bad to say about Simon Godwin at all. A fabulous start to the evening.
The auditorium smelled of sweet tobacco. Russell Tovey and Luke Treadaway were wandering around the bar.
Posts
