Pretending to be Me

Synopsis

Featuring some of Larkin's most memorable poems and sprinkled with the poet's trademark wit and unique look at life, Pretending to Be Me will examine key events and moments in Larkin's life and how they shaped his work.

Our Review:

19 February 2003

Pretending to Be Me, the play about the late poet Philip Larkin, transfers well from the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds to the West End in London. It feels fresh and Tim Hatley's deceptively simple design - a moving day front room overflowing with boxes, steeply raked, kaleidoscopically mood-lit (care of Jason Taylor) and with funhouse-style walls that close in - is highly effective at filling the Comedy stage and framing its sole performer, the incomparable Tom Courtenay.

First impressions aside, whether or not you love or loathe this piece is largely a matter of taste. Those who appreciate monologues, poetry readings, Courtenay and Larkin are, indeed, well catered for. I count myself a fan of the first three - though, at times here, the balance between reflection and recitation seems off-kilter - and open to education on the last.

I can't help but believe that the two-part drama may not succeed in the hands of anyone aside from Courtenay, who ...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.131.141.82) - 23 March 2003:

A brilliant piece of theatre, the best I've seen for several years; I've seen it both at WYP and the Comedy Theatre. The move from narrative to poetry is seamless, the timing impeccable and Tom Courtenay uses the constricted set in a lively way. ...

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