Downstage Drama

Never Land, written by Phyllis Nagy in 1998, is set in a small town in France, following an ambitious yet heartbroken family through their dramas and tribulations. Henri’s desire, above all else, is to live and work in England, and we see him get closer and closer to the realisation of this dream, before it is plucked out of his fingers, sending him and the whole family into a downward spiral of depression and self-loathing. This is, of course, played in tandem to a socio-economic crisis that leaves the family in crippling debt and despair. At the same time, the daughter Elisabeth’s abusive fiancé, Michael, ends the relationship in a chaotic, full-blown speech, destroying Elisabeth and causing her already fragile emotions to crack and burst free from her heart in the overblown climax of the play. The text itself is simultaneously haunting and tumultuous, as a play about extreme heartbreak should be. But, Nagy does not play to your expectations. She completely removes all boundaries, de...

We all have a pet peeve, no matter how often we tell ourselves we don’t. Mine, like many other theatre-goers, is the increasing number of rude and inappropriate audience members we are having to share auditoriums with. Watching Matilda on the West End a few weeks ago, I noticed at least three people whip their phones out of their pocket, scroll on Snapchat, send a quick message or, God forbid, sneak a quick snap of the stage. Not to mention a couple having the most in depth, obtuse conversation possible bang in the middle of my eye line. I know I’m not alone in these experiences. So why is it these insensitive audiences seem to be getting more and more common? The first possibility is, and excuse me whilst I sound like your old uncle at Christmas, those damn phones. TikTok and YouTube have become a breeding ground for illegal filming of these shows, many reaching hundreds of thousands of views. Wicked seems to be a particular favourite of these bootleg creators, one playlist of which g...