Play: Cuckoo
Tonight, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for Cuckoo, at The Royal Court. And again to Pret, not really having time for anything else - this evening, mind, I thought the sandwich had more cream cheese in it than usual: which might have been what gave me the runs at the interval. But anyway.
I arrived early at the theatre - read the paper while I was waiting, and having a v nice (and cheaper than often) sauvignon blanc. Funnily enough, the paper contained a review of the play.. not terribly complimentary, it describes it as "amusing but aimless" - points out how the youngest character in this family spends most of the play offstage, and wonders what on earth the "cuckoo" of the title refers to. So! we sort of knew what to expect.
More unexpected was the appearance of a flight of stairs at the back of the bar, where no flight of stairs had been.. very reminiscent of House of Leaves, I enlightened them, with random staircases and hallways appearing and disappearing. Turned out to lead to the theatre's summer cafe!
Right in the middle of Sloane Square, it is - which means that the theatre bar is right under the road! which is obvious, when you think about it - we just never had. Interesting..
When we were going in, one of our group offered me the seat beside him in the Stalls, whose occupant hadn't been able to make it. Lovely! Fewer steps to climb, and a better view - plus someone to chat to as we were coming in and going out. I gratefully accepted:
Set in Liverpool, the play takes place in the granny's house. She's widowed with two daughters - one works in Boots and has a teenage daughter who's just dropped out of school, her father vanished years ago; her sister is a primary school teacher, looking for love. The men in this get short shrift - we don't hear a good word about any of them, ultimately. Even in the school, a little boy brings in a meat cleaver one day.. the school dads are described as picking fights in the playground, and certainly, this family's romantic attachments go nowhere.
I suppose you'd have to say the real villain/focus of the piece is the Mobile Phone/Social Media. They're all constantly on their phones - granny is addicted to selling things online, her unmarried daughter is messaging her boyfriend, and they're all obsessed with the news. Perhaps it's something on the teenager's phone that sends her fleeing to her room.. we never do actually find out. As the article suggests, perhaps the phone is the cuckoo, replacing whatever real experiences they might be having? I do sympathise with the mother, though, who says her phone helps her to escape from her awful, real life..
Well, whatever, it is entertaining - although, as pointed out by many, there is practically no plot. And it is amusing. Kind of like watching a soap opera for the most part. Runs till the 19th of next month, if you're interested.
Comments
Post a Comment