I felt that this would be an interesting show to see. Its a show that has, for the past 20 years, had critical acclaim whenever its been produced. Its also seen as an important piece of theatre not only within the theatre community but also within the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) community. The play follows the story of a group of gay male friends from London over several years during the 1980s against the backdrop of the Aids crisis. It sounds depressing, I know, but I went in without expectations.
The audience was made up of mainly gay men, with a few women or couples. The audience was also mainly over 30s. The theatre is lovely. I've never been here before, which is stupid on my behalf. Ill definitely be coming here more. The theatre is kind of famous in London though, as in 2013 the ceiling collapsed during a performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. It brought down a lighting rig and a section of balcony, which trapped 2 people and injured around 88, including 7 seriously. The stage is relatively small and this means every seat gets a decent view. The set isn't the simplest I've seen, but its not complicated. It doesn't change throughout the play. I never became bored of it though as the cast interact with it wonderfully.
Reg, as in the person mentioned in the title, isn't actually in the play, but the plot revolves around his friends. The play is set in the new flat/apartment of one of Reg's friends, Guy, when all the men are in their 30s (apart from a new friend they make who's around 18). Guy is a lonely man and has a secret crush on one of the men in the group. Promiscuity and secret affairs are rife within the group, all instances of which involve Reg. The show is primarily a story of love and friendship, with a bit of betrayal thrown in. Aids, although a feature of the show, is never actually mentioned by name and therefore almost gets forgotten. To be honest, unless you know the plot before you go you might not even think Aids features in it at all. The play was written by Kevin Elyot and premièred at the Royal Court Theatre on 31st March 1994. Unfortunately Kevin died in June 2014. During his career he had also produced a number of films including Clapham Junction and Christopher And His Kind.
Yes its a serious play, but it falls into the comedy genre. Its what I would call a clever comedy. It doesn't rely and stupid slapstick. Instead the reality of certain situations and how people react is what makes it funny. I guess this is what's made it such a popular play. Its won two awards for best comedy, one for best fringe play and only this year (2015) it won an Olivier Award for Best Revival. The current production is just short of 2 hours and has no interval. It goes reasonably quickly though I must admit I do feel its a little long with no break. The actors were brilliant. Jonathan Broadbent is great in the role of Guy. He's probably one of the most real characters in the show. Julian Ovenden, who's probably best known at the moment for his role as Charles Blake in Downton Abby, was brilliant and in my opinion was the one that stood out from the rest of the cast. Lewis Reeves, as the young 18 year old Eric, is also fantastic with his charming smile and wonderful acting. He will be recognisable to some having been in a number of British TV shows, such as Uncle and Misfits. I'm sure he will be someone we see more of on the stage.
At the end of the paly there is a little nudity. Well not just a little. Only two actors, Lewis Reeves and Julian Ovenden, but in my opinion the scene did go on a little long. Actually I thought it completely unnecessary. The nudity was in no way needed or called for and I'm sure it was only originally put in the show to cause a little bit of a talking point. This is in fact the only time I've really felt this towards onstage nudity, as usually it seems completely justified. I did find myself almost forgetting they were nude after a while though, but that's just testament to the acting. The nudity was also the only thing people were talking about at the end. More specifically it was Lewis they were talking about. Lets just say it was completely clear that he wasn't Jewish.
Joking aside, it was a good show. I didn't feel it was all it was cracked up to be though. It wasn't as gritty as I wanted. At times I also felt a couple of the actors, Richard Cant and Geoffrey Streatfeild, were fairly over the top. A bit like caricatures rather than characters. A bit of me was also slightly insulted. All the characters are gay, and apart from Guy each and every one of them is portrayed as promiscuous with a couple of them cheating on their partners. This, in my opinion, gives a bad impression of gay people. Now I know a lot of people wont agree with this, but portraying gay men as being promiscuous and unfaithful really doesn't give the gay community a good name. Even if its only in a play. It's unfortunate that even in 2015 gay people are still discriminated against all over the world, and this play doesn't really help to change that. As I said though, it was a good play, and I can see how when it first came to the stage 20 years ago it was ground breaking.
I know I've said some negative things, but its a good play. I think its something I think theatre lovers and enthusiasts would like. Not only because of the critical acclaim its achieved globally, but also its a play unlike any other I can think of. Maybe not best for grandma though (or your children). Just remember it ends on April 11th 2015. Tickets and info
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