Royal Court Theatre, London

My first time in the upstairs theatre in the Royal Court and I was initially taken aback by the intimacy of the setting, but for a performance as highly charged and emotional as this was, turns out it was perfect.

Transitioning seamlessly back and forth between ‘58 and ‘08 we see our main three characters - Philip, Oliver and Sylvia – as thirtysomethings in both eras with the common theme of homosexuality and how it affects your life and relationships.

What could have been a very run-of-the-mill look at “how it was then and how it is now” is instead an utterly gripping, deeply intimate insight into both worlds. Compelling performances from every member of the cast kept an audience that were physically almost sharing the stage, completely captured.

And so to the stand-out moments. On a production level, the lightning-fast costume changes were remarkable, almost unbelievable! The performance by Tim Steed in his triple role as The Man, Peter and The Doctor – rarely do you get to witness an actor so closely playing three completely different roles in such quick succession. It was hard to accept all three were played by one and the same person. As the role-playing multi-jobber he is hilarious, as the gung-ho lads mag publisher he is brilliantly convincing…and as the psychotherapist trying to cure Philip of his homosexual ‘disease’ with vomiting therapy he is entirely believable. Truly, an impressive performance that even within such a flawlessly-acted production, managed to stand-out and really delight the audience.

I must mention how enjoyable this play was on a general entertainment level and how much the audience laughed – genuine warm, knowing laughter. With such a serious theme Alexi Kaye Campbell in his debut play, has managed to write a very relatable, touching yet humorous portrayal of the difficulties of relationships made more complex by human nature over-riding society’s expected behaviours.

The Pride is performed at the Royal Court Theatre in London’s beautifully xmas-decorated Sloane Square until Dec 20th and is well, well worth seeing. Let me re-assure you that this is not a play targeted at the gay community – there’s no ‘in-jokes’ or anything to alienate a wider audience of people like thirtysomething straight married folk like myself. It’s a play that you’ll feel good about having seen, like you’ve gained an understanding of sorts. And it’s an opportunity to see four outstanding performers in what is a well-paced, highly enjoyable piece of accessible theatre that’s just about us, people, and how we’re similar yet different from each other and just struggling to try and be happy with our day-to-day lives.

By Sinéad Hughes

Cast:
Bertie Carvel as Oliver, JJ Feild as Philip, Lyndsey Marshal as Sylvia, Tim Steed as The Man/Peter/The Doctor

Written by Alexi Kaye Campbell, Director Jamie Lloyd, Music and Sound Ben and Max Ringham, Designer Soutra Gilmour, Lighting Jon Clark

Tickets: £15. Mondays all seats £10. Box office: 020 7565 5000

Runs until 20 Dec '08. Upcoming evening performances: Mon-Sat 7.45 pm. Saturday matinees at 4pm, Wednesday matinee on 10th Dec only.  Runs 2hrs 15mins incl interval.

Age guidance 16+. Contains scenes of a sexual nature.

Images courtesy of Stephen Cummiskey