Play: Nachtland
Tonight, we were at Nachtland, at the Young Vic. Three days on roughly the same theme.. and it seems appropriate these days.. this is about a family who find a painting, stashed in the attic. It's by, as described, a failed Austrian artist who abandoned his original vocation for Nazism.. The thorny question here is, what exactly to do with it..
There are plenty of great places to eat around the Young Vic. Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to find one with space.. after four rejected booking attempts, I gave up and headed for Pret. Which, again, allowed me to stay later at work, and finally catch up with something that'd been threatening for a while. I was ages waiting for the bus though..
When I'd eaten, I headed for the theatre - which was rammed. I found the group in the hall - but we rapidly moved into the bar, where we found a little more breathing space. Honestly, even standing room was at a premium.. Anyway, when it was time, we made our way to our seats:
I haven't seen such a messy stage since - Hir!
They have an excuse - they're clearing out their father's things. And they do a decent job:
Well now, I spent the first part of this play wondering whether the problem wasn't the translation from the German. It kind of didn't sound right, the language was a little off to my ear, the mannerisms strange. Or, as someone said afterwards, perhaps it's something about Germany that we're not picking up on..
Anyway, for my part, I really didn't like the beginning. I didn't take to any of the characters - except perhaps Philip, who was the only one not tearing strips off anyone. Someone did make the point, after, that his sister was left to look after their father - probably to an unfair extent, which is often what happens, and which might make her irritable. So, we have a brother and sister, and their respective spouses, emptying the father's house. Philip's wife is Jewish - and oy, does she complain! Everything that anyone says, she finds an insult in. She and his sister can't stand each other - and everything is a fight. And then someone finds the painting..
Philip is fascinated, his sister less so - until she finds out it might be valuable. His wife? Appalled. Hasn't got a good word to say. But they start to ignore her, and bring in an art expert - with some dubiously right-wing attitudes. And in fact, according to the website, this is what the play is about - the rise in far-right opinions. At least, I thought, although she was unpleasant, she was a change from the constant bickering.
Ah, but then I woke up. :-) Nobody in the group was quite sure what happened next.. my best guess is it was a slice of her private life. Think Berlin nightlife.. Let's just say that Angus Wright explodes onto the stage. He turns out to be a rich buyer, interested in the painting. The brother and sister literally fall at his feet - as he engages in the first intelligent discourse of the play, with Philip's wife, Judith, about how the art should be separated from the artist, and such. The play basically, as someone suggested, goes bonkers after this. And, frankly, is all the better for it.
Nobody's entirely sure what happens at the end - but, at that stage, nobody cares. So, the upshot? Stay at least until he makes his entrance. It's certainly memorable. Ooh, and we have the soaring strains of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde to waft us to the conclusion.. how could I not love that?! Runs till the 20th of April, including matinées on Wednesdays and Saturdays - limited availability on a couple of days. Recommended - for those with an open (or openable) mind! Honestly though, although important themes are touched on here, this is another of those plays that doesn't examine them.. just having people throw their opinions around does not count as discourse.
Oh, and on the way home, the bus stop I was headed for was closed (bah humbug!) and I had to walk to the next.. where, as I waited, I observed a young woman with a bike with a burst tyre get rejected from taking a bus, and have to hail a taxi..
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