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I really don't think I'm the right person to offer a review of this, as judging from the warm applause around me, I must have missed something; but I found it 2 hours of unrelieved tedium. Well, unrelieved tedium for the first hour, then a minor lift when Stanley Townsend as Theseus arrives, then more unrelieved tedium, then a bit of minor gore at the end. Interminable speeches took me back to Madame de Sade, but that at least had a sumptuous set and costume design to amuse.
Helen Mirren spoke nicely and is very lovely, although with horrible hair extensions and at least 20 years too old for the role. Dominic Cooper looks quite fetching in a singlet, but when he stood rigid while being caressed by Phaedra, he looked exactly like Action Man (in jungle fighting clothes). I amused myself for the rest of the play be watching his swivelling eyes and gripping hands. And I don't think there's any other amusement (very mild laughter at a couple of things Paedra says to her nurse notwithstanding).
Some people were ovating at the end, maybe because they saw a dame, (or maybe they were American (no offense intended!)), or maybe I'm wrong, wrong, wrong.
This is playing in rep with Time and the Conways, which I saw a week or so ago, and thought was fabulous (though no one stood at the end of that).
btw - it started at 8.10 and ended 10.15 (felt like much longer to me). And there's no understudy listed for Phaedra. Does that really mean "no dame, no show"? I've never known that happen, although I think it's fair enough.
Annie
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Phaedra At Nt - Helen Mirren
Jun 3 2009, 06:39 PM
