REVIEW: Love Song
- Posted on December 20, 2006 2:17 PM
- 0 comments
LOVE SONG
DIRECTED BY JOHN CROWLEY
New Ambassadors Theatre
A friend of mine met Cillian Murphy at the press night of Love Song - apparently he wasn't very nice. I guess top class movie stars have a right to be a tad frosty around the edges. Last night, I had my own brush with the leading man and after the amazing performance he'd treated us with, he could have backhanded me with a prop and I'd still be singing his praises.
Neve Campbell too, was lovely. She's a tiny little thing close up and her newly cropped hair gives her an elfin appearance. Perhaps she'll give The Lord of the Rings, the musical a shot when Love Song finishes in March.
Back to the show at hand, I'd heard mixed reviews about the European premiere of John Kolvenbach's new play and purposefully stayed away from dousing myself with pre-show plot analysis. Boy am I glad I did - sometimes the best theatre experiences are the ones that stun you with their unexpected brilliance.
The play tells the story of Beane, a quiet social misfit plagued by loneliness and cut off from the world around him. His sister Joan and brother-in-law Harry try and make time for him in their lives, and pull him out of the rut. When his flat is robbed, Beane meets Molly... and love and happiness suddenly lift his spirits. But who is she?
A play hasn't moved me like this one did in a long time. I hung on every word and. Mental health is a sensitive subject and director, John Crowley had the tightrope between reality and insanity pulled chillingly tight. The representation of the walls and ceiling closing in on him showed the oppressive internal world he lived in.
The cast is an impressive one; it's not often you get so many high profile film and television stars on one stage. Cillian Murphy plays Beane with convincing vulnerability. Murphy had starring roles in Ken Loach's 2006 Palme d'Or Award-winning film The Wind that Shakes the Barley, Red Eye, Batman Begins, 28 Days Later, Breakfast on Pluto, Girl with a Pearl Earring and Cold Mountain. His theatre work includes Disco Pigs, The Country Boy, Juno and the Paycock, Playboy of the Western World and The Shape of Things. Phew! What a CV...
Most people remember Neve Campbell from the American TV show Party of Five and the Scream movies. The men amongst you may remember her role in Wild Things with Denise Richards. Go on, think hard... you know you've seen it. I expected to be star struck during her performance as Molly but to be honest; the other actors stole the show.
The stars of the night however, we're Michael McKean and Kristen Johnston. This didn't come down to scores on the celeb-o-meter, rather due to a pair of stellar performances as Harry and Joan. The humor was spot on and the electric chemistry between them zapped the audience into regular bouts of laughter. Look out for the 'playing truant' scene. It's a show stealer.
McKean's experience goes back a long way but he's perhaps best known for his roles in Laverne and Shirley and This is Spinal Tap. He also conquered Broadway in Hairspray and The Pajama Game. Her stage presence demanded attention
And please indulge me as I well and truly save the best for last. Kristen Johnston was by far the shining light on a dimly lit set. Gone are the cheap one-liners from her two-time Emmy Award-winning role as an alien in 3rd Rock from the Sun. You may also recognise her from ER or on New York's stages in As You Like It, Portrait of a Woman, The Lights, The Women and Much Ado About Nothing. As Michael McKean told us after the show, she's been extremely ill lately and had to miss a week and a half of the show.
If last night's performance was anything to go by, let's hope she eats her apple a day because this play would sing a less appealing song without her.
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