Reader Reviews
Clybourne Park (Royal Court - Jerwood Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | The Royal Court has replaced the Young Vic as my most irritating theatre. Not all its patrons live in Kensington and Chelsea so starting a matinee at 3.30 pm is inconsiderate at best. However, all is forgiven if all palys are as brilliant as Clybourne Park. I was in Chicago last week and a tour guide told us that although Chicago is now a well integrated city most ethnic groups still live in their own communities; China Town, Greek Town, Korea Town, etc. So Bruce Norris' incredibly funny play can also be said to be an accurate satire on racial and property prejudice across two time periods. He bravely confronts the truth that prejudice exists in all groups and communities but does so through an astonishingly funny script which contrasts favourably with the poor taste of Yes Prime Minister seen the day before. It would be iniquitous to single out any one member of a quite brilliant ensemble who deliver Norris' scathing prose superbly and with peerless Midwest accents. Clybourne Park has already been scheduled to follow Jerusalem and Enron into the West End which will provide an opportunity for a second visit to one of the best plays of the year. - David Baxter | 02 Oct 10 |
| It took me a while to get into this intriguing and clever play, but by the end I felt deeply satisfied by a very funny yet unsettling drama. In many ways, my reaction was similar to the same venue¡¯s Posh ¨C the reviews led me to expect a more straightforward satirical comedy, but it had so much more depth than that. There are many layers to this play, the first act of which is set in 1959 as a couple prepare to move home and the second act in the same house 50 years later as another couple are seeking to demolish it and rebuilt on the land. The attention to detail is extraordinary ¨C from Robert Innes-Hopkins brilliant sets to the nuances of the acting. I was captivated throughout and there was a roundedness to the structure which I just loved. It¡¯s rare you get a set of seven impeccable performances, but here you get that and more as each actor has two very different roles. They¡¯re all terrific ¨C Steffan Rhodri morphs from bereaved dad to straightforward workman, Sophie Thompson from highly strung unfulfilled housewife to icy cold lawyer, Lorna Brown for servile to assertive, Sam Spreull from passive priest to gay lawyer, Lucien Msamati from quiet disbelief to assured confidence , Martin Freeman from 50¡äs racist neighbour to fashionably liberal and Sarah Goldberg goes from deaf & dependent to politically correct & defiant. Under Dominic Cooke¡¯s direction, these characters come alive and Bruce Norris¡¯ dialogue sparkles. The play¡¯s devastating message is that in 50 years everything¡¯s changed but nothing has changed. Clybourne Park is this year¡¯s Jerusalem and I suspect we won¡¯t see a better new play for some time. Go! Go! Go! - Gareth James | 07 Sep 10 |
| Loved it. Truly smart, hilarious and surprisingly heart wrenching. - LondonFan | 03 Sep 10 |
| so.. this is mostly well directed and acted, and well designed - and skilfully written - but - it's a very cold and misanthropic satire - one of those royal court plays where playwright and audience look down on the characters (who are, almost all, either stupid, or selfish, or both) and congratulate themselves on being more sensitive and aware than the people they're watching... still, though it mostly left me cold (one can't feel any involvement with these caustic stereotypes) - and the racial questions aren't original (a truly original point of view, from anyone, might not leave those watching feeling superior), a fair part of the audience found it uproarious (all cruel laughter though - and often at the expense of truth..), so those who like their humour chilly might like it... - fred | 27 Aug 10 |
