‘Him’ is a bitter, old, eccentric writer, living alone in a dirty flat writing tampon advertisements while the poetry that made him a best seller gathers dust on the shelves. The only family member that still interacts with him is his nephew, and even he’s afraid to bring girlfriends round for tea. Suddenly, his cleaner dies and is replaced by a thought-provoking painter, and his publisher and ex-girlfriend is back in his life, republishing his poems and inviting him to a dinner dance. Shock, fear, hope – how will ‘Him’ make the transition from loneliness to fame?
Playwright Stewart Booth also plays the protagonist, and he steals the show. Speaking directly to us in the audience, we take on the role of the voices in his head. This clever device heightens the emotive nature of his struggles with his repressed feelings over his poetry and the recent death of his wife. The character is burdened but ultimately well intentioned, and the audience grows to love him and genuinely care about his emotional development. The script is extremely strong, full of comedic idiosyncrasies that do well to flesh out a wonderful character. The plot twist at the end adds poignant depth and power.
Unfortunately, Booth was not matched by his three fellow actors. This might have been because ‘Him’ was not matched by the three other characters, which all seemed far less developed. At times it even felt as though the script for the other characters was weaker. The character of publisher Denise was quite clichéd – businesswoman who uses sex for power but has a hidden soft side – while the nephew Richard was a fairly flat character with few developed attributes. The character of Jane, the new cleaner, had potential but was let down by the actress, who shouted through many of her lines and who never quite shook off a tone of reading or reciting the script rather than acting it. Booth and ‘Him’ were sorely missed when they were off the stage, since Richard and Denise’s scenes together were unnecessarily sexualized, and Richard’s scenes with Jane sounded too much like a first reading. All of this was a genuine shame because Booth’s character and presence is incredibly engaging, and I truly enjoyed Him along with the rest of the audience.
