Pinter's People - Sketches and Monologues 1958-2002

Our Review:

2 February 2007

Thirteen sketches by Harold Pinter, four well known television comedy actors led by Bill Bailey, and direction by Sean Foley of the Right Size, sounded like a recipe for a very decent two hours, even if the Haymarket is more suited to the upper reaches of society comedy. Pinter’s people hang around bus stops, frequent tea bars, sit on park benches and threaten each other with torture.

The reality is a strangely uneasy evening in which the over-emphatic, coarse-grained style of television comedy acting is exposed as entirely unsuited to the musical rhythms, delicious incongruities and melancholic beat of Pinter’s writing. Pinter’s people, in fact, have been unceremoniously mugged and served up as extras in The Fast Show or Little Britain, and I don’t mean that as a compliment.

Pinter, in fact, is done no favours at all in this presentation, which arranges the material in a random, non-chronological fashion, puncturing each item with bursts of bebop jazz ...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

81.152.52.89) - 3 February 2007:

On paper it sounded wonderful. In reality.... An absolute travesty. I mean they all did well, but the utter lack of understanding of Pinter beggars belief! Everything was played for laughs - including a number of small pieces clearly not intended to be funny and hence lost all power. All subtely was avoided if it was even acknowledged at all! By reducing the protagonist of 'Request Stop' to a drunken lout absolutely misunderstands the inherent vitriol of the piece and shows such an utter dereliction of direction that I doubt I shall see poorer on the stage in years. Wonderful words. Completely trashed to the lowest common denomenator. Talk about dumbing down! The audience loved it....they loved Bill Bailey et al and their rough mugging , not the words of Pinter. Tragedy....

Read more and add your own review

Related Whatsonstage.com Articles

1st Night Photos: Pinter Parties with His People More»