Reader Reviews
Inadmissible Evidence (Donmar Warehouse, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | Inadmissable Evidence is virually a one-man show and as the rather seedy solicitor whose grip on his work, relationships and sanity is slipping away, Douglas Hodge gives an extraordinary bravura performance. Maitland is a bit like a brutally heterosexual Butley but crucially lacking the charm of Simon Gray's creation. That, together with behaviour which verges on bullying and sexual harrassment, leads to a character with no redeeeming features and consequently it's impossible to sympathise with his breakdown. Maitland also seems to be irresistable to a vast range of women which strains credulity to the limit. The excellent supporting cast are given little more than cameos (one entirely wordless) but it's especially pleasing to see the apparently under-rated Esther Hall back on stage after the potential career graveyard of those BT ads. As with The Entertainer Osborne does not appear to have realised when enough is enough and by half-way through the second act I couldn't wait to escape from his loathsome creation. - David Baxter | 04 Nov 11 |
| Karen Gillan be praised! Perhaps the most significant stage debut of the century. I am honoured and delighted that I had the opportunity to give up my usual seat to one of her fans and watch instead from a perch in the rafters. Who is that old bore Hodge anyway? - Coral | 29 Oct 11 |
| I find it very hard to write about a bad play whose main character is a monster but where there¡¯s an outstanding performance in an excellent production! John Osborne¡¯s play is really a one character play, even though there are 10 other characters played by 7 actors. Bill Maitland is a borderline illegal solicitor who bullies his staff. He¡¯s unfaithful to both his wife and his lover. He¡¯s a lousy father. He¡¯s a sexist misogynist. He¡¯s self obsessed and self loathing. You can¡¯t help but hate him. Though he appears to be having a breakdown before your eyes, you can have no sympathy with him. If he slit his wrists, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d care. Good riddance. How can you like a play that revolves around this man that, to make matters worse, may be a self-indulgent exercise in exorcising the playwright¡¯s hang-ups about himself. Douglas Hodge¡¯s performance is however extraordinary. He¡¯s a dominant presence, on stage for two hours; I felt really sorry for the supporting actors who have to play punchbag, counsellor, target, sex object, foil¡.. It¡¯s a character in search of a play. It¡¯s hard to know how much of it is in his head and how much is actually happening. It opens with a clearly imagined court scene. Somewhat ambiguously, one actress plays three clients and his junior later appears as a client ¨C is that as written or is it director Jamie Lloyd¡¯s idea? Soutra Gilmour¡¯s realistic design provides a claustrophobic 50¡äs office, with an outer office behind a glass screen, for all of this to be played out brilliantly. It¡¯s a fine production, but I didn¡¯t like the play and I hated the character¡..but Hodge¡¯s performance is masterly and I¡¯m glad I went just to see that ¨C just¡.. - Gareth James | 20 Oct 11 |
| A play of terrifying power in a fantastic production. Playing Bill Maitland is a workout comparable to Lear. - Tom | 18 Oct 11 |
| Douglas Hodge was BRILLIANT. Perfect performance. And the play itself was fantastic as well. Not for mediocre people for sure. - Zoltan | 16 Oct 11 |
| I am suprised by the negativity towards this play. I Saw it last night; it is fundamentally all about Douglas Hodge's performance - he is after all on stage from start to finish. I thought he delivered a quite incredible performance, eeking every last bit of bitterness, nerves, misery, tension and fear from his character. It's a dark, dark evening of theatre but thanks to Hodge is compelling thanks to his extraordinary performance. - Paul Wallis | 16 Oct 11 |
| Douglas Hodge does BITTERNESS. Douglas Hodge does NERVOUS TICS. Douglas Hodge does ALIENATION. And the audience does alienation too, as Osbourne has created such a miserable git of a character that I was just as turned off by him as all the other characters in the play. And realistically, this is a one man show, so we spend an awful lot of time listening to this angry middle-aged man rant. Karen Gillan barely had any stage time at all, but Amy Morgan made an impression trying to reach out to Hodge's character. To be fair, there is something mesmerising about Hodge's command of the words and stage, but I felt he was aiming all that despair and misery at me. Not to my taste. - Steve | 15 Oct 11 |
