Japes

Synopsis

In this unflinching look at the comedy of life, two brothers share the house they grew up in but as time passes and their family grows, the ties that bind them are tested to the limit. Spanning 30 years, Simon Gray's funny, ironic play deftly highlights how our actions and choices affect future generations.

Our Review:

9 February 2001

Simon Gray is waging a generational – and very personal – war at the Haymarket and, if his campaign requires one to take sides, I’m afraid I’ll have to join the ranks of the opposition.

It’s younger playwrights who provoke one of Gray’s most indulgent rants – in the concluding, overly long, scene – with a thinly veiled swipe at the likes of Patrick Marber and his allegedly sex-obsessed Closer, in which a foursome continually swap loves and lusts.

Gray’s characters here – a threesome of two brothers and the woman they both desire (and have) – are no better in practice but presume to take the moral higher ground because they never overtly acknowledge the situation. This might be viewed as subtlety or discretion by some, but for me, it lies at the heart of the problem with the piece.

The play covers 27 years of sibling rivalry, jealousy, guilt, uncertain paternity, co-dependency and heartache – and yet, despite a promising opening, it never really ...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com - 23 March 2001:

What are the 3 stars for in your review? Possibly the acting. It must have been fun for the boys to try to make this one actable. And some of the lines given to the woman were beyond belief. How did this get past Mr Hall, he who put on Waiting for Godot for the first time in this country? Dreadful, very sorry but should never have left the draft stage -(in joke )...

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