REVIEW: Speed The Plow
- Posted on February 7, 2008 1:05 PM
- 10 comments
SPEED-THE-PLOW
London’s Old Vic Theatre
February 12 (previews from February 1) to April 26, 2008
Review by Katie Spain
PLEASE NOTE: This production was reviewed during the preview period.
There are people out there who are going to shoot me down for this. So be it. I could spend paragraphs gushing about how amazing Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldblum are (yes, they ARE) but the fact is, 'Speed-The-Plow' fell well short of my theatrical enjoyment mark.
The attraction of three high-profile stars certainly pulled in the punters on Monday night. German tourists, seasoned theatre goers, Spacey fans, Goldblum obsessed and Laura Michelle Kelly followers lined the pavement outside of the grand building that is The Old Vic. It was hard to tell whether the shivers rattling up and down our collective spine were those of cold or excitement; maybe a touch of both.
Even The Mighty Boosh's Julian Barratt allegedly came down for some Spacey action. I wonder if he liked it more than I did. The play had its soaring moments - and those usually occurred when Spacey and Goldblum fired witty one-liners across the stage. The two interact with the ease of two childhood friends catching up in the pub. The play however, isn't set in the pub - rather, in the office of Hollywood producer Bobby Gould (Jeff Goldblum). Together, he and a jittery Charlie Fox (Kevin Spacey) revel in a new film project which looks set to star one of the best in the business.
The mates are set to get rich quick... or are they? The arrival of a sexy and seemingly naive secretary (Laura Michelle Kelly) sends the men into a confusing battle of wits, morals, greed and ethics. Sounds thrilling. Unfortunately not.
Mamet's play is indeed witty; the author of Glengarry Glen Ross, Oleanna and American Buffalo has humour licked. The audience risk bladder release whenever Spacey cracks a joke - but let's face it, the man is a master of his craft and could have us in stitches with a mere knock-knock joke. His character's torment and frustration however, is extremely convincing. Goldblum wears his Gould's cloak of indecision well. His scenes with Spacey are electric and for a West End first, this is an impressive debut.
Unfortunately, the central scene in Gould's bedroom is as dry as central Australia. I'm not sure who is at fault here but the sweet secretary seems as confused by her own rambling sentences as the man by her side. Perhaps a few more previews will bring much needed fluidity but neither the script nor the former Mary Poppins impress. It’s a shame as the British musical theatre star has an endearing stage presence. Uncomfortably long scene changes and confusingly raised lights don't help the flow either. There's no interval but people seem unsure about whether they're meant to stretch their legs or ride it out.
The story makes some very interesting points about the movie-making business and the battle of wits and morals within it; the delivery of 'Speed-The-Plow' however, falls somewhat short of the mark.
Despite this, fans of the stars will come out smiling. Where else can you get ninety minutes of uninterrupted up-close-and-personal action with some of the best in the business?
Have you seen the play? Did it rock your theatrical world or leave you stranded on Boredom Avenue? Tell all in the comments section... why keep it in when you can say it as it is?
Related links:
Speed-The-Plow tickets and listings.
The Old Vic on Seatwave.
The Old Vic official site.
Comments (10)
Peter
This is not a good play. I went along at the end of week one expecting to see a thoroughly intelligent comedy. What I witnessed was a farce in every sense of the word. The story is predictable, the jokes are groan-inducingly poor and with the exception of Stacey the performances were as wooden as my front door. Maybe it was the pregnant pauses or perhaps the over-acted dialogue but I couldn't relate to any of the characters or even imagine them as real. The play presses on through three acts and 90 minutes without a break. By the start of the third act it was only my British sense of politeness that was still keeping me there. And then it just ends; predictably, unconvincingly; right back where it started. A waste of an hour and a half.
I wouldn't recommend this play to anyone. Which is a shame because I'm a big Goldblum fan.
Peter
Posted on February 12, 2008 12:29 AM
Adam Walker
I couldn't agree more with Peter (and the reviewer).
This is a terrible play. Charicatured-characters, ludicrously week plot and non-inspired set design.
There are far better plays in London. The only draw here are the 2 Hollywood names. But after 5 minutes of being on stage, this novelty soon wears off.
A huge disappointment. Don't bother with this.
Adam
Posted on February 13, 2008 1:14 PM
Adam Walker
I couldn't agree more with Peter (and the reviewer).
This is a terrible play. Caricatured-characters, ludicrously weak plot and non-inspired set design.
There are far better plays in London. The only draw here are the 2 Hollywood names. But after 5 minutes of being on stage, this novelty soon wears off.
A huge disappointment. Don't bother with this.
Adam
Posted on February 13, 2008 1:19 PM
Richard Block
Obviously Adam and Peter are from another planet. The audience howled for most of the 90 minutes. The script is terrific, the acting fabulous, and the production, electric. Go stick your heads in a bucket of shit next time, it sounds like you really need to
Posted on February 14, 2008 5:02 PM
Richard Block
Obviously Adam and Peter are from another planet. The audience howled for most of the 90 minutes. The script is terrific, the acting fabulous, and the production, electric. Go stick your heads in a bucket of shit next time, it sounds like you really need to
Posted on February 14, 2008 5:02 PM
Adam Walker
Obviously Richard has not been to many other productions to be able to compare their 'electricity'. Either that, or he's very easily pleased.
For the record, I would rather have stuck my head in a bucket of shit that had to sit through such tedium as this.
Posted on February 14, 2008 5:15 PM
Queenie
I agree with the reviewer, I did not enjoy this play at all. In fact, this is one of the worst plays I've seen in London. The humour was forced, the entire 2nd act was directionless and poorly acted. The only redeeming feature was Spacey, unfortunately he was missing from a third of the play. I wouldn't recommend this play to anyone, though I imagine the 2 hollywood stars are enough of a drawcard.
Posted on February 15, 2008 11:08 AM
Matt Kearsley
I'll stick up for you Richard. don't listen to these patronising theatre goers. They will resent the fact that having people like Spacey and Goldblum on stage will bring to the theatre people who wouldnt normally go, and spend their time pontificating about it.
Mamets writing is of the highest quality, the delivery exceptional. The sets make you wide-eyed, and the entertainment on offer is there from curtain up.
Theatres all over the land are unfortunately frequented with pompous individuals with too big an opinion of themselves and others.
go and enjoy the show, Richard and I most certainly did.
Posted on February 16, 2008 8:07 PM
Andrew
It is amazing what happens when you put a few celebrities on stage - people seem to loose all sense of objective comparision. I enjoyed the energy brought to the stage by Goldblum and Spacey but I was left wondering if I would have stuck it out had it been two unknown actors. I agree with Queenie in that the second act was downright terrible. Karen lacked any direction and Goldblum... he didn't even feature. The point was lost. Richard, the audience may have howled, but in my case, it was simply at the one liners and it felt forced. As Peter said, at the end you land up right where you started, wondering what the point was. I was never, at any point, engaged or entertained. Much like Modern Art, if you know the artist and are not looking too closely for much substance, this play may appeal. A classic example of what happens when celebrity and hype are involved unchecked. If you're looking for something truly entertaining, you'd do far better elsewhere. Which is a pitty, as Goldblum and Spacey could have been so much more.
Posted on March 4, 2008 9:28 AM
Moorish
The play was entertaining and Goldblum and Spacey strike sparks off of each other superbly (Spacey in particular is fantastic in the final act), but Kelly is a little weak in her role, and the bedroom act drags. The other major problem is that the "worthy" novel never seems a credible alternative to the commerical prison film, because it is so self-evidently barking.
Posted on March 27, 2008 1:08 PM
Post a comment
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.seatwaveblogs.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/2622
