An enjoyable new play by Ryan Craig at the National Theatre.
Our protagonist, David (Henry Goodman), is a kosher caterer from Edgware who has a lot on his plate (food is everywhere in this play!). It’s the day before the funeral of his eldest son, Daniel, who died while fighting with the IDF in Gaza. David’s business is on the verge of collapse and he’s pinning his hopes on doing the catering at the wedding of wealthy, old friend’s daughter. His wife is supportive, but weary; his youngest son seems depressed and lost. His daughter, though outwardly very successful, has outraged more conservative members of the north London jewish community by working for a commission investigating alleged war crimes committed by the IDF. A rich brew that makes for an entertaining exploration of loyalty, guilt and identity.
As has been noted in several reviews, not everything feels entirely new. In particular, the play would appear to borrow liberally from All My Sons by Arthur Miller and more generally Craig, like Miller, is aiming to bring the past into the present. He does pretty well with it and is helped by good direction and fine acting.
More information:
The Holy Rosenbergs (289.48 kB) reviews of the Ryan Craig play produced at the National Theatre, 2011.
Feature article on Ryan Craig and the cast of The Holy Rosenbergs, The Jewish Chronicle
All in all a good production – the language was easily understood, the production design presenting Denmark as the fiefdom of an oligarch was convincing. Especially interestesting was Hamlet’s interaction with the players before their performance. It provided a strong sense of Shakespeare the old pro looking at something close to his heart and experience.
The cast
A good cast, all in all. Hamlet played by Rory Kinnear was energetic and mournful. Patrick Malahide’s large lizard head and fine suits made him easy to recognise as the power hungry villain. Ophelia played by Ruth Negga was young and perky, although the depth of feeling between her and Hamlet was hard to gauge; perhaps a problem inherent in the play as much as the performance.
Problems
Also problematic, is the moral standing of Laertes – his willingness to use poison, following a suggestion made by the wicked Claudius makes him far from noble. Then there’s also the question of whether Hamlet takes responsibility for killing Polonius. His line, that were he himself, he would never have done it is inadequate. He shows greater insight when he it makes no sense, rationally, to be overcome by grief over the death of one man and feel next to nothing on learning that 20,000 Norwegian soldiers are going to die for some worthless territory in Poland.
By the end, Hamlet is ready for the grave and we, the audience, are ready to let him go. Nonetheless, the final words spoken by Horatio and Fortinbras are disappointing. Hamlet is lauded and the grisliness of the denouement is noted, but the complexity somehow isn’t recognised. Fortinbras is brisk and ready to get on with the business of government – as un-Hamlet-like a response as one can imagine.
Period piece from 1960. Interesting for the light it throws on manners and class and the shift to multiculturalism. A couple of Caribbean prisoners, an Aussie, some proto-mafiosi and a suave American (who I see is played by Sam Wannamaker).
If this were being made today, Clive Owen or Tom Hardy would be starring and it’s doubtful whether they would improve much on Stanley Baker’s swaggering and glowering. Unfortunately, the plot is standard issue – there’s an attractive love interest, Margit Saad (exotically German), but no snappy dialogue and little tension in the scenes. The snowy field where Bannion stashes his loot must have been an influence on the Coen brothers in Fargo, so maybe that’s as much of a legacy as the film needs.
Perhaps, this was gritty for the time, but gritty is grittier these days and this kind of thing has been done to death (and better) since then.
Isaacs’s fascination with the sort of complex and intriguing characters who populate his films started in his teens.
“I hit 13 in 1980, and it was a very interesting time because there were riots going on and life was very unstable and fragile. That was the first time that the world seemed not as fixed as I had thought. I also had a job in Petticoat Lane market. And the characters around there were incredible — Jewish market stall traders, skinheads, Bengalis. Growing up in that era was a kind of awakening in terms of being interested in what was going on around me instead of being focused in on your own little street in suburbia.â€
Isaacs was born in the East End, but his family soon moved out to “a hellhole called Redbridge [in northeast London]. It’s bleak now, but was really bleak back then. The boredom drove some people into crime — most people into crime in fact — and others into shady areas of documentary film-making.â€
Marc Isaacs’ breakout film Lift was excellent – fresh and humane. Filmed over the course of several months in the lift of a council block in east London, he slowly develops a realtionship with a number of residents (I wonder if people on the ground floor started using the lift to get in the film?). He shares only snatches of conversation with his subjects, but we learn a surprising amount; as much from their non-verbal interaction as their words.
His latest effort, Outside The Court screened on BBC2 recently is remarkably similar in format, except it takes place outside Highbury Magistrates court. As in Lift, we get to know a number of individuals – some charming, some pitiful and some amusing. It lacks its predecessors intimacy, however and its freshness. Time for a change?
Many a familiar spot in this old footage. London looks even more like an ant heap than it does now. Look out for Pears Soap, Kodak and Hovis on the omnibus as it whizzes past.
Enjoyed a couple of the tasty turkish durums (like shawarma) here. Plenty of fresh salad, and, after asking for a spicy incarnation, fiery. Continue Reading →
An overdue visit to the West End last night after a late invitation to see ‘A Country Girl’. It was more a case of ‘why not?‘ than ‘that’s the play I want to see!‘; Clifford Odets isn’t well-known to me, but the reviews were good, even if the performances were praised more than the play
‘A Country Girl’ has a dash of doomed romance, but it’s really about co-dependence and how great talent can be accompanied by great weakness. Frank, a leading man on the downward slide, is married to Georgie. Once his child bride, Georgie is now more like a mother to him. She keeps him off the booze, encourages him to audition and puts up with their straitened circumstances with pretty good grace. However, as the play goes on, we see that her forbearance is actually keeping up a status quo that is doing neither of them much good. It enables her to opt out of having a life of her own on the grounds that her alcoholic husband will fall to pieces if she leaves and it enables him to opt out of responsibility and wallow in disappointment and helplessness.
All this gets shaken up when a desperate director decides to take a chance on Frank and unexpected opportunity for redemption falls from the sky. Frank needs Georgie more than ever to bolster his fragile ego, but he also relies on the attention and encouragement of the director, Bernie. Frank cannot afford to alienate either of them, so he plays them both and sparks a power struggle which pits wife against director.
Unaccustomed to fighting for Frank’s devotion, Georgie tells Bernie that what she really wants is a job and a peaceful room of her own away from him. Bernie is impressed by her festiness and comes to see that Frank isn’t as robust as he makes out and really does need his wife. All three central characters go on a journey, but it’s unclear whether any of them end up anywhere very different from where they started.
From the same writing team who hit the big time with Sexy Beast, we have a more theatrical, darker piece. At first glance, it strikes on as something like a RESEVOIR DOGS set in London, but actually the themes, infidelity, vulnerability and forgiveness are remarkably congruent with Sexy Beast. Once again, there’s an all star cast led by Ray Winstone. John Hurt does some scene stealing Frankie Fraser schtick – a very long way from Winston Smith in 1984 or THE NAKED CIVIL SERVANT. Bravo.
Witty dialogue, good pace and an interesting enough journey for the protagonist Colin Newman (Ray Winstone) make this well worth watching.
It’s a far cry from LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS and all the better for it.
Heaviest snow fall for several years and it’s still snowing. There are going to be some fine snowmen patted together. I wonder what percentage of commuters made it into work? The car insurance companies must be nervous indeed.
Interesting look at a murder investigation recently carried out by the Hampshire constabulary. The film focuses on how the investigating team approach the problem of identifying a victim and catching a murderer.
Some googling provide further information. Strangely, thisishampshire identifies a Detective Sergeant Richard Rowledge as the man leading the investigation. In the documentary, the Senior investigating officer is DCI Jason Hogg (shown above).
Ziaul Haque, 27, worked at the Euston Ibis hotel with 26-year-old Sylwia Sobczak of Tottenham. They were in some kind of relationship which turned sour and ended with Haque murdering Ms Sobczak. Her burnt body was found by a dog walker on a bridleway half a mile from the centre of Dummer in Hampshire on May 8.
A very sad tale from the new London – a kind of Dirty, Pretty, Things without the happy ending.
Reading the newspaper reports, it’s disappointing to note the relish with which they report that the body was found near the estate owned by the parents of Tara Palmer-Tompinkson.
The Holy Rosenbergs (289.48 kB) 
