The Caretaker - Blake Theatre 23rd September
It is 50 years since The Caretaker first catapulted Harold Pinter into the front rank of 20th century dramatists, and on Thursday the 23rd September this stunning performance graced the Blake Theatre stage. The play is a grimly humorous study of power and isolation, and London Classic Theatre’s revival of their 2004 production is the centerpiece of the company's tenth anniversary year.
“Leading dingy lives in a derelict house, two brothers are sustained by thoughts of the future.
Quiet, damaged Aston plans to tame the garden and build a shed, while canny small-time builder Mick hopes to transform the place into a smart bachelor pad. When Aston offers a bed to feckless tramp Davies, the scene is set for a tortuous battle of wits.”
Directed by Michael Cabot, the play featured strong performances from a cast more than up to the challenge of conveying the complex emotions exhibited in Pinter's piece. Part bigot, part washed-up music hall comedian, Nicholas Gasson's Davies was excellent as the tramp. His coarseness and vindictiveness were superbly presented. Nicholas Gadd was equally outstanding as Mick. Whether musing about his plans for the house or expressing the pent-up frustration of a man who found himself effectively in the role of carer for his older brother, he exuded a real sense of darkness and menace, perhaps masking a more vulnerable underside. Richard Stemp was perhaps too over-reliant on a monotone blankness to convey Aston's damaged and fragile mental state, but it was a minor fault in an otherwise excellent, and in some places moving production.
Reviewed by Marcus, 6.1