Month: December 2023

Ulster American is satire to its core. It is clever, energetic, deliberately offensive, laugh-out-loud hilarious and extremely disturbing. Written by David Ireland, it is designed to shock and spark conversations. And the result is a spectacle that divides audiences. It delves into truths which are difficult to face, and exposes the ugliness of human behaviour. But how far is too far?

The play initially premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2018, and has now been revived at Riverside Studios, boasting a star-studded cast. Woody Harrelson, Andy Serkis and Louisa Harland are drawing in crowds from far and wide. It’s hard to miss the bold yellow and blue posters catching eyes at every tube station throughout London, and it’s certainly been popping up all over my Instagram feed. 

Set in the London home of director and theatre-runner Leigh Carver (Andy Serkis), the action unfolds over the course of a single evening. The show opens with Carver and A-list Oscar-winning movie star Jay Conway (Woody Harrelson) supposedly discussing their upcoming collaboration, a gritty play about the Troubles written by Ruth Davenport (Louisa Harland) a promising young – notably female and decidedly British – playwright, set in Northern Ireland.

Ruth is running late, and the men have immediately veered away from the subject of their collaboration. ‘You ever use the n word?’ Jay asks. And then, not too long after: ‘Is it ever ok to rape someone?’. What ensues is a bizarrely light-hearted conversation about which woman, if held at gunpoint, one might choose to rape. The characters are constantly trying to one-up each other, desperately attempting to prove their good-nature and feminism, that they are woke, and good people. While it’s cleverly written and the purpose is clearly to provoke and expose, and yes, maybe even to offend, I found myself feeling extremely uncomfortable, and quite honestly repelled, perhaps more so by the side-splitting laughter that was emerging from the audience around me. The play is making a point, it’s trying to send the audience a message – but when you’re laughing at rape, is that message not landing on deaf ears?

Ruth finally arrives, cheery greetings are exchanged, but when Leigh confides in Ruth regarding the earlier discussion the evening descends into chaos. What we see is a series of escalating conflicts. Feminism, the Troubles, sexual assault, disagreements over the script and politics, Irish nationalism vs Ulster unionism, Brexit, and that’s not all of it. It’s a lot to take in. 

Though he began his acting journey on the stage back in his senior year of high school, Harrelson made his big break with Cheers, and has since become a prolific screen actor. Ulster American marks his first return to the stage in 18 years, following an ‘unsatisfying experience’ on the West End in 2005 that put him off theatre for some time. This winter he has bridged the gap between screen and stage once more, excelling in his new role. Harrelson encapsulates the caricature of a Hollywood star desperate to be adored. His timing and technique are on point, from yoga poses and flamboyant gestures to scowls, chin-juts and tantrums. He carries running jokes superbly, never missing a beat.

Returning from an even longer break from the stage (a whopping 21 years), BAFTA winning Andy Serkis moulds himself to the wine-guzzling director Leigh with ease. It’s no secret that Serkis is a skilled physical performer and voice actor, when I hear his name gollum immediately comes to mind (although of course his filmography extends much further than Lord of the Rings). As with Jay, Leigh borders on melodrama (it is a satire after all). Serkis’s performance is energetic and precise. He rants and raves about brexit, though outwardly moulds his opinions to suit that of his colleagues, never wanting to alienate them, but purely  acting to serve his own purpose – despite the drama, he is determined that the show must go on, and he will do anything in his power to ensure that it does.

Louisa Harland stands out as the most natural performance in the play. Her portrayal of Ruth is captivating, somehow simultaneously heightened and subtle. Deadpan at times, yet  defiant in the face of adversity. Strong and stubborn, Ruth refuses to bow to the demands of her elder, male, more famous, colleagues. All three characters are written to be disliked, but despite her right-wing political leanings, I found Ruth to be the most relatable (that said, I am also a young woman trying to make my way in the creative industry, so maybe that’s just my demographic). Harland particularly shines in the moment Ruth faces tragedy, her portrayal is assured, and nuanced. 

Despite the excellent performances and the wittiness of the writing, I left the play feeling somewhat uncomfortable, and not necessarily for the reasons that I was supposed to. The crassnes of the initial rape joke and the effect that it had on the audience lingered with me, and though it carried through as a theme, a topic for discussion, I’m not sure that the overall intended message landed. The message was clear, sure, but when people leave this production will they be talking about the controversial topics that were raised, or will they simply be raving about the celebrities they saw on stage? 

Ulster American runs at Riverside Studios until January 27th. The production is almost sold out, but for just £150-£175 one of the remaining tickets could be yours. Who ever heard of accessible, affordable theatre?

Car Crash, written and directed by Bruno Magnanti, follows the journey of a football club losing their most valuable football player. They are to make a deal before the January transfer window closes. We see behind-the-scenes of the trouble and corruption in England’s most loved sport.

Car Crash is such a well written play, and even for someone who does not generally watch or understand football, I was able to follow the story very well and it made me curious to find out more about football politics. A balance was achieved between light moments and hard-hitting moments, executed beautifully by the cast, each playing a fully fledged and important character. The energy of the cast members worked well within the space, and the comedic timing of lines was achieved really well.

The protagonist Peter Murlowe, played by Michael Byers, was the club’s chairman. Byers did a fantastic job of constantly plating with two opposing energies. He was fighting with his emotions through the entire play and you could see that his character was physically and mentally exhausted. It was very entertaining to watch.

Jonny Magnanti, who plays big-boss manager David Rubin, gave a powerful performance. The way he was able to control the room with just his presence was amazing and as soon as he stepped onto stage, his character was impressively intimidating. The loud silence from the audience showed how well his status translated.

Victoria Sasso portrayed Sarah Isley with such a fierce energy. Despite being the only female in the office and facing so much adversity, the character holds her own consistently, no matter what. It was very empowering to watch.

I really enjoyed watching the character arc of Tremont Deigh’s character, Micheal Lansana. He went from being the office underdog to the only person brave enough to stand up to the big boss. Watching him go from a submissive, nonchalant and small character to a dominant and powerful force showed how much range he has as an actor and he played both of them very well. I also loved the characterisation of Jason Lumley, played by Craig Edgley. You could tell he represented the people who have a passion for the sport. He was very charismatic and had a bold presence.

I thoroughly enjoyed this play. The writing was exceptional, as were the actors and the story telling.