Theatre review: The Homecoming

[nick730]

Having directed a production of The Birthday Party a few years ago that Harold Pinter himself described as the darkest he'd ever seen, David Farr attempts to do the same to one of the writer's most debated works, the psychosexual power battle of The Homecoming (also marking a homecoming for the play itself, which premiered at the RSC and now forms

Comments

[3rdspearcarrier]

I've liked this more the more I've thought about it. Not a totally satisying experience by any means, but never less than an interesting one. And a genuinely disturbing one! I'd definitely consider seeing another production of it at some point.

I think I know enough about Pinter to say with some confidence that he wasn't a misogynist, but I can see why people would draw that conclusion from this play alone.

[nick730]

I'd definitely consider seeing another production of it at some point.

I think for all that Pinter's famously detailed in how his work should be performed down to the pauses, there's still a lot of scope for interpretation by different directors and casts. From what I recall, Jenny Jules was a lot more naturalistic as Ruth in the Almeida's production, and came across more in control as a result. My current feelings about McGuckin's version is that most of the time she appears to be the sexbot the family seem to think she is, and she's using that as a way to take control with occasional flashes of power. Why she wants to stay there of course is as mysterious as ever.

I didn't for a second buy Salinger as a philosophy professor by the way, although I suspect Pinter was mainly going for the most intangible profession he could think of for Teddy more than anything else.