|
|
Powerful tale of relationships Daytona Malvern Theatres **** Powerfully emotionally and
multi-dimensionally, Daytona is a play with so much heart that you can
almost feel it beat. Bringing together the distinguished writing
abilities of Oliver Cotton (A Touch of Frost and Man Falling Down) and a
steller cast of Maureen Lipman, Harry Shearer and John Bowe, this is a
gift of a new play. Essentially, this is a family drama set in a
Brooklyn apartment in 1986 with Jewish husband and wife, Joe and Elli,
rudely interrupted by Joe's estranged and exuberant brother Billy,
who disappeared some 30 years ago but makes a surprising comeback with
plenty of revelations from both the past
and the present (which I don't want to spoil for those of you yet to see
it). Content with their lot and ballroom dancing
competitions, we open with the normality of retired couple Elli and Joe,
played wonderfully staid by Harry Shearer, who famously does the voice
for Smithers and Ned Flanders in The Simpsons. Joe and
Elli, It is only when Elli has left for the day that
Billy makes his sudden entrance filled with mystery and obvious
questions that have the audience's antennas twitching. Why is he dressed in such a bizarre way with a
Hawaiian shirt, shabby suit and no socks? How does this unannounced
visit tie in with his recent holiday to Daytona Beach in Florida? Why
did he run away three decades ago and change his identity to an all
American real-estate dealer in Ohio? So many questions, yet Cotton toys with us,
drip-feeding his story bit by bit with what seem like superfluous detail
until finally we reach the moments of truth (yes, there are more than
one). While on one level, there is Billy's current
predicament, on another, there are the emotional betrayals and
relationships of this trio, who grew up together and were then interned
in concentration camps during the Second World War. Joe's bitterness is not so much why Billy left
but the fact that he denounced his Jewish past and even removed the
tattoo of his camp prisoner number. While Elli is haunted by her own
secrets. Lipman, playing Elli, has to be one of the best
actresses of her generation, and despite only being present for a very
short time in the first act, her presence cannot be denied in the second
act, when she commands the stage. It is a master stroke casting John Bowe (The
Hour, Cranford and Poldark) as Billy as he is totally believable as a
character who responds instantly to his heart whatever the consequences,
which is crucial to this storyline. This is as much an examination of relationships
and love as it is about atonement. It's a must-see. To 12-10-13 Alison Brinkworth
|
|
|