3:33pm Tuesday 3rd November 2009
By Emily Thwaite
The Caretaker by Harold Pinter Theatre Royal Bath (from Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse), until Saturday, November 7
A JOURNEY takes place in this production – as happens in all the best pieces of theatre/art.
I’d expected, from a Pinter play, to be confronted with the darker aspects of being human; but what I didn’t expect was to feel sympathy and concern for the particular human beings in front of me….
Here, I was able to forget Jonathan Pryce; and see a vulnerable homeless tramp.
And in the course of the play, each of the three characters reveals themselves to be vulnerable – a study in human frailty, that also really involves and engages.
Friendship and trust are explored; and, along with the characters, we are all ‘wrong-footed’ about where our sympathies ‘should’ lie, the rug being pulled out from under our feet just when we’re getting too comfortable…Violence and racism are just around the corner; but laced with humour.
Images of shoes, clothes, bags, sheds and the paraphernalia of existence underline our need to leave our mark on the world – and are stripes better than checks, or is teal the perfect colour for interior design? Some very funny stuff… Seeing things clearly; and listening to each other’s story are here too – Aston is taunted about his experiences with the ‘pincers’ in a mental hospital; and then Davies remembers the heat and lack of air in such places… Lyrical language, laughter and dreams abound; and there are very few exaggerated ‘Pinteresque’ pauses (just enough reflection time). Powerful images, such as the symbolic ‘pass the bag’ sequence, stick; but this is definitely ‘substance over style’ strong theatre.
To check ticket availability, call 01225 448844.
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