Review Gethsemane
March 11, 2009
Date Reviewed: 10th March, 2009
Venue: Theatre Royal, Newcastle
Gethsemane, according to David Hare in his new play of the same name, is your moment of doubt and each well drawn character in this production certainly has theirs.
The play can be viewed on several levels, the corruption in the government of the day to a mother and wife trying to balance family life which due to the pressure of her job is not an easy task.
The white set is used to great effect as projections of London or even a Mediterranean sunset set each scene.
The characters have soliloquies at the start of each scene that sets the tone with their opinions and as the story develops we find the high powered mother trying to save her daughter from drugs is actually the Home Secretary. Who by chance also has a husband facing trial abroad who she wants to stand by.
Her boss the Prime Minister is first introduced to us as he plays the drums and the show down between these characters is extremely powerful. Especially as both are aware of the power dictated by Otto Fallon, the parties’ fundraiser.
At times the characters are stereotypical but Hare injects the play with humour and always makes you compare where his fiction actually blurs in to today’s fact. You cannot help but think about the state of politics today when watching this play.
This is a well polished production that started life at the National Theatre and Director Howard Davies ensures that he has the best from his cast. While Bob Crowley set design gives us a set that can easily be transformed from a beach to 10 Downing Street and actually adds to the play.
Gethsemane is a thought provoking play which, according to notes from David Hare in the programme, is a work of pure fiction…
John Dixon
Comments
Got something to say?
-
Recent Posts
Advertisement
Other Regional Sites