No Man's Land Review Wyndham's TheatrePinter at his most random as English Stars deliver it perfectly.
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It’s rather challenging to write a review on an absurdist play when Harold Pinter deliberately doesn’t write it to make much sense. What’s the plot? Will audiences understand it? Why did a graphic Lesbian website show up first when we searched "No Man's Land" on Twitter?
Well, anyway, we find ourselves welcomed to the (beautifully staged) sitting room of a Hampstead retiree (Patrick Stewart) who has invited a failed poet (Sir Ian McKellan) back from a drink. For two hours the pair share tales, recount their past successes, exaggerate their present day relevance before McKellan’s character makes a desperate plea rebuffed with pure brilliance by Stewart. There isn’t really a climax or character development, just absurdity. Special mention to Damien Molony and Owen Teale who play the servants - not easy characters to make sense of, but acting of an impeccable standard nonetheless.
What was clear when we went was that the audience loves it – the banter is honest, and you don’t need to know the backstory to get the jokes (evident when the characters themselves are unsure of who they are or what they know). It’s all a bit crazy, but for two men trying to remain relevant in their older years, unnervingly real.
Like any play in the west end with Hollywood actors, expect 100% standing ovations and a buzz, without really getting it. That’s simply not the point of Pinter.
Why Go?
Well, anyway, we find ourselves welcomed to the (beautifully staged) sitting room of a Hampstead retiree (Patrick Stewart) who has invited a failed poet (Sir Ian McKellan) back from a drink. For two hours the pair share tales, recount their past successes, exaggerate their present day relevance before McKellan’s character makes a desperate plea rebuffed with pure brilliance by Stewart. There isn’t really a climax or character development, just absurdity. Special mention to Damien Molony and Owen Teale who play the servants - not easy characters to make sense of, but acting of an impeccable standard nonetheless.
What was clear when we went was that the audience loves it – the banter is honest, and you don’t need to know the backstory to get the jokes (evident when the characters themselves are unsure of who they are or what they know). It’s all a bit crazy, but for two men trying to remain relevant in their older years, unnervingly real.
Like any play in the west end with Hollywood actors, expect 100% standing ovations and a buzz, without really getting it. That’s simply not the point of Pinter.
Why Go?
- Two English stars, Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan, deliver Pinter’s work with precision
- After receiving acclaim in Broadway, audiences in the UK have a limited run in London and on tour.
- Pinter is complicated, surreal and absurdist – No Man’s Land is a punchy 2 hour production that has little risk of boredom.
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WHERE
Location: Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0DA Closest tube: Leicester Square (Northern and Piccadilly) WHEN Running times/intervals: 2 hours, with one interval Performance dates and starting times: 2:30pm (Wednesday & Saturday) and 7:30pm (Monday to Saturday). Time you'll finish: 4:30pm and 9:30pm HOW Ticket prices: £10 (Standing) to £150 (Standing) Day or cheap tickets? YES - see our London theatre tickets guide. WHO Who's in it? Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Owen Teale and Damien Molony Director: Sean Matthias |