Out with the old and in with the new. The meeting of experienced theatre actor Robert and newcomer John gives us an evening of comedy, tragedy and drama - a perfect microcosm of the theatrical world.
David Mamet's 'A Life in the Theatre' tell us the story of two actors and their on-stage successes and (hilarious) failures, overly-candid chats and thinly-veiled insults, right through to the melancholic death of their theatrical relationship.
From the outset, Mamet's words make their mark, with recognisable stilted speeches and pointed interruptions making the first ten minutes of this play rather hard work to get through. Soon enough, though, actors John Fleming and Duncan Wilkins are allowed more scope in the script as their characters Robert and John become more comfortable with each other. Both actors are brilliant in their roles. Fleming is instantly every inch his part of the aging, experienced and self-important actor. He embodies the theatrical stereotype, though not once did his affectations get in the way of us connecting with the truth of his story. He was, by turns, enraging, frustrating, hilarious, heart-breaking and utterly vulnerable.
Wilkins was no less impressive in his role of John, the relative newcomer, energetic, open, eager without being blind, young with a soon-fading naivety. I wasn't sure about him from the beginning, finding him slightly awkward to watch and a bit too removed from the action on stage. I soon realised, however, that that was almost certainly director Zoe Ford's intention, working off the inherent awkwardness in Mamet's opening pages to great effect. Wilkins is at his best when almost dumbfounded by the latest pretension of Fleming's character, providing the perfect 'straight' foil to Fleming's outbursts. Wilkins skims between frustration and empathy with ease, revealing everything with the slightest twitch of an eye or short snort of derision.
The action is punctuated by play-within-a-play scenes, snapshots of the horror and hilarity of onstage mistakes. These scenes are almost perfect, but could have been improved by hitching up one more notch on the energy dial - Ford's aptly subtle handling of the 'backstage' scenes needed to be just a tad punchier for these 'onstage' scenes to snap into life. Fleming uses his flair for comedy to great effect, however Wilkins betrayed a less-than-perfect sense of comedic timing - something which, given his overall talent and, in the spirit of the play, I'd be willing to bet would improve with time.
Designer Suzi Lombardelli provides a great backdrop for these wild highs and depressing lows, a mish-mash of props and costume racks. The atmosphere is one of memories and the other-worldliness of being backstage versus onstage, ideal for this play.
Ovation's production of A Life in the Theatre is brilliant and Ford successfully teases out every opportunity for something different, something exciting, something which will grab the audience. Despite this, it will still be those who are involved in theatre who will get the most out of this, with every joke and failure hitting close to home. As one such, I found myself overwhelmed by the end of the play. Without wanting to give anything away, it was one of the few truly profound moments I've experienced when watching a play. Whether you're after a great night out with laugh-out-loud scenes or whether you want to immerse yourself in, as Edith Oliver put it, Mamet's "love letter to the theatre", 'A Life in the Theatre' will draw you in and leave you buzzing.
