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Written
and
Directed by
Anthony Neilson
Design
Hayley Grindle
Lighting
Chahine Yavroyan
Sound
and Music
Nick Powell
Young
Jude/
Andy/Jude
Jude Akuwudike
Pizza
Delivery Man
Richard Atwill
Brian's
Father
Sam Cox
Brian
Wilkins
Brian Doherty
Brian
Jr./
Homeless Man
Ryan Gage
Manni
Emmanuel
Ighodaro
Scrooge
Sean Kearns
Jason/Porter
Jason Nwoga
Bob
Cratchit/Shauna
Patrick O'Kane
Mark/Voice
of
Internet Chat Man
Mark Theodore
Joel,
Brian's
Business Partner
Joel Trill
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Soho
Theatre
29 Nov 07 - 5 Jan 08 |
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This
new one-act play advertises
itself as "A Christmas Carol
for the Internet generation"
but unfortunately doesn't
quite live up to its billing.
Full of foul and explicit
language, yet light-hearted
and even hilarious at times,
the play whizzes us from a
reformed Scrooge not understanding
why Bob Cratchit doesn't want
him at their family Christmas
celebrations, to a minimalist
flat in the present day where
Brian Wilkins (Brian Doherty)
is alone on Christmas Eve,
having ordered a turkey and
stuffing-topped pizza delivery.
A modern-day Scrooge and drunken,
racist bigot, the central
character doesn't give us
much to like about him. His
ex-wife refuses to let him
speak to their 12-year old
daughter, and he fully admits
that he has been "a shit husband
and a shit father". He alternates
between self-pity and self-hate,
admitting that he is a successful
only as a producer of crap
TV shows. Himself a failure
in almost every sphere, and
insulting everyone he meets,
there is, despite everything,
something likeable in Doherty's
portrayal of the cocaine-snorting
loser.
We are treated to riotous
party scenes, an AA meeting
(where Brian's confession
turns out to contain lies),
ghosts in the form of Scrooge
and Brian's dead father, and
a sympathetic listener to
Brian's travails and perhaps
the only character to whom
Brian shows any warmth at
all (played by Mark Theodore).
Scenery and lighting changes
are minimal; however the actors
and costumes manage to create
the illusion of the chaos
that is going on in Brian's
sozzled head. The swearing,
drug-taking and pornographic
chatroom talk make the play
unsuitable for children, and
some scenes, such as one where
two children (played by adult
actors) discover Brian's passed-out
body, think he is dead and
go on to share the secret
that Santa is dead too, are
too simplistic for a mature
audience. Yet the play overall
is funny and even touching
at times. The fourth wall
is disturbingly broken with
one scene, and the final tableau,
where Brian successfully tracks
down his daughter online,
is colourful and well executed.
Featuring 11 men who workshopped
the play into existence under
Anthony Neilson's direction,
I don't see God in Ruins making
it into any company's permanent
repertoire: despite some bravura
performances it's just a lightweight
bit of seasonal fun.
Chris Brody |
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