Poor Beck - New Work Festival

Synopsis

Poor Beck is a rich exploration of love, language and the senses. In an underground city, Myrrha's family is torn apart when a stranger arrives promising a bright future. A contemporary reworking of the story of Myrrha from Ovid's Metamorphoses.

Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.252.0.10) - 6 October 2004:

Firstly the play itself. The use of language is at times brilliant and always inventive - although I have never worked out why a nuclear attack makes some survivors speak in that Mad Max way. The sense of darkness combined with hope comes over and the play has some interesting things to suggest about otherness and outsiders. My sense of the play is that this is not a masterpiece but could conceivably be a building block towards one. There are flashes of Pinteresque use of language - yet this is more varied that that to its eternal credit. As for the production, this strong cast make this a deeply moving play. Hicks has always done a good line in anguish and Lou Bangay's performance confirms the sense that she has been under-used this season in the Tragedies. Sian Brooke is one of the few actresses who can convincingly play a 16 year old. But the piece is given energy (as indeed the part requires) by a Louis Hillyer playing the title role with subtle elements of a Spanish down-and-out market trader. Well worth seeing....

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