Theatre review: The Priory
Tonight was my last theatre trip before Christmas, and I nearly missed it! Not long before I was due to leave it snowed heavily again and the traffic came to a halt. I spent half an hour at the bus stop waiting for a bus that everyone could see just at the traffic lights, but which just couldn't get past them because the cars in front were at a standstill. I couldn't even get through to London Travel Information so had no idea if the Tube would be OK once I finally got to the station. Luckily it was, and I'd given myself so much extra time to get there that I arrived at the theatre with ten minutes to spare. Fortunately the show was worth the effort in the end.
Nothing to do with the famous rehab centre, Michael Wynne's The Priory is about Kate (Jessica Hynes) who's had a terrible year and has decided to bid it good riddance with a New Year's Eve party at a country house with all her oldest friends, including Carl, an ex-boyfriend she's been having an affair with. Unfortunately all her friends bring unexpected guests: Carl brings his wife Rebecca, Ben met Laura yesterday and they're already engaged, and Daniel is surprised when Adam, a younger man he's been chatting to online, turns up at the front door expecting sex. It's a good-looking cast that includes Joseph "Fit Dad" Millson as Daniel, Alastair Mackenzie as Ben and Nick Blood as Adam, any one of whom might have caught my eye if it weren't for the presence of Rupert Penry-Jones as Carl. It's a bit ironic that Mr Pendulum-Jones is playing an actor whose roles dried up once he lost his looks, since he's pushing forty but still looking as good as ever - there was actually one of those audible mutters of disagreement from the audience at the line about him losing his looks.
Totty aside it's very entertaining, and although the set looks like it would be ideal for a farce it's actually more the dialogue that gets huge laughs, and some excellent performances - apart from the people I already mentioned, Charlotte Riley is fantastic as the dippy Laura. Her insistence that Daniel must become her new GBFF is a good running gag. This being a Royal Court show it gets more serious in the second act, and some of the themes are a bit obvious, but overall it remains entertaining - in fact it's a long time since I've heard so many gasps of shock from an audience. The characters may not all be likeable but it's to Wynne's huge credit that they're so relatable as to get people reacting like that after two hours in their company. It's not the best show the Royal Court's had this year but to be fair it's up against some tough competition.
The Priory by Michael Wynne is booking until the 16th of January at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs.
Nothing to do with the famous rehab centre, Michael Wynne's The Priory is about Kate (Jessica Hynes) who's had a terrible year and has decided to bid it good riddance with a New Year's Eve party at a country house with all her oldest friends, including Carl, an ex-boyfriend she's been having an affair with. Unfortunately all her friends bring unexpected guests: Carl brings his wife Rebecca, Ben met Laura yesterday and they're already engaged, and Daniel is surprised when Adam, a younger man he's been chatting to online, turns up at the front door expecting sex. It's a good-looking cast that includes Joseph "Fit Dad" Millson as Daniel, Alastair Mackenzie as Ben and Nick Blood as Adam, any one of whom might have caught my eye if it weren't for the presence of Rupert Penry-Jones as Carl. It's a bit ironic that Mr Pendulum-Jones is playing an actor whose roles dried up once he lost his looks, since he's pushing forty but still looking as good as ever - there was actually one of those audible mutters of disagreement from the audience at the line about him losing his looks.
Totty aside it's very entertaining, and although the set looks like it would be ideal for a farce it's actually more the dialogue that gets huge laughs, and some excellent performances - apart from the people I already mentioned, Charlotte Riley is fantastic as the dippy Laura. Her insistence that Daniel must become her new GBFF is a good running gag. This being a Royal Court show it gets more serious in the second act, and some of the themes are a bit obvious, but overall it remains entertaining - in fact it's a long time since I've heard so many gasps of shock from an audience. The characters may not all be likeable but it's to Wynne's huge credit that they're so relatable as to get people reacting like that after two hours in their company. It's not the best show the Royal Court's had this year but to be fair it's up against some tough competition.
The Priory by Michael Wynne is booking until the 16th of January at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs.