has a lot of difficulty with the notion that a professional theatre company such as the Donmar can get away with a “The Donmar can’t afford understudies” mantra, yet so go the cries as audiences take their seats for performances of Nick Payne’s The Same Deep Water As Me which is now playing there. Daniel Mays, who played the central character, Andrew Eagleman, was injured last week and since then performances have either been cancelled or have proceeded with Gerard Monaco, script in hand, taking over the role pending Mays’ return. In almost every way, the fuss and drama associated with Mays’ replacement is more intriguing and fascinating than Payne’s play, which is, at best, light-weight and , at worst, tiresome fluff. Payne is a very gifted writer and his ability to write truthful dialogue which speaks directly to the musicality of the characters he creates is rare and impressive. But here, in this tale of small time lawyers gone wrong and the judicial process being mocked, his dialogue is all that keeps the propulsion of the piece alive. There is no world view or particular insight or even carefully crafted eccentric characters – no, the play could easily be segments of Eastenders or Coronation Street. It’s a not very interesting plot peopled with not very likeable characters all of whom speak interesting and well crafted dialogue. It features a wonderfully detailed set (kudos Scott Pask) which is a triumph of shabbiness and exemplifies the notion of being worn out and there is crisp, near perfect direction from John Crowley who ensures everything looks good and moves at an appropriate pace. The casting is mostly solid throughout – and Monaco does a first rate job in Mays’ place. There are good turns from Nigel Lindsay, Monica Dolan and Niky Wardley in particular. Marc Woottan plays the hapless shifty do-badder who brings all those around him down and although he is perfectly adequate, it is difficult to resist the notion that the overall result would have been better had there been more simple charm on display from him. The plot has so many wrong-steps when it comes to matters of law and procedure as to almost be laughable and there is no reason why that should have more impact in the theatre than it does in countless television courtroom antics – and yet, somehow, it seems a worse crime in the theatre. If someone else had written this play, it might have seemed better – but Payne, capable of such wonderful writing as evidenced in Constellations and If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet (which still has not played in the West End unaccountably) is capable of much more than this lightweight adequacy. Truly he is. And Donmar audiences and the craft of theatre itself deserve better underlying philosophies than “The Donmar can’t afford understudies”. Understudies are not a luxury – they are necessary for professional theatre. Employing understudies is a key way to distinguish between professional theatre and something else. And the only thing to do if you want to ensure that your audience, your full ticket paying audience, does not feel cheated no matter how good the parachuted-in performer is holding a script.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 12:47:36 +0000
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