CurtainUp
CurtainUp

The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features, Annotated Listings
www.curtainup.com


HOME PAGE

SITE GUIDE

SEARCH

REVIEWS

REVIEW ARCHIVES

ADVERTISING AT CURTAINUP

FEATURES

NEWS
Etcetera and
Short Term Listings


LISTINGS
Broadway
Off-Broadway

NYC Restaurants

BOOKS and CDs

OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
California
New Jersey
DC
Philadelphia
Elsewhere

QUOTES

TKTS

PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS

LETTERS TO EDITOR

FILM

LINKS

MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
Writing for Us
A CurtainUp London London Review
Colourings



Why don't you presume that everything everyone else does is pretentious and everything that you do is authentic?— Mark
Colourings
Alex Price as Mark
(Photo: Derek Bond)
Making his professional debut in Andrew Keatley's first original play Colourings is a very promising young actor, Alex Price, as Mark, a troubled twenty four year old who, with his parents, has been seeing the same psychiatrist for the last decade. The opening scene sets the tone for the play. In London, Mark and his live out girlfriend Emily (Polly Findlay) are relaxing over the Sunday papers except that, like their subsequent scenes together, things develop into a full blown spat as they quarrel over small things.

The scene switches to Mark's parents' house in the country. Hannah, his mother (Su Douglas) is pleased to have her son at home but obviously nervous about the relationship between her husband, Douglas (Alan Charlesworth) and their only child. She is encouraging Mark to look at his father's plant additions to the garden and to admire them. As the father comes into the room, the atmosphere cools: Alex clams up and the father bristles and blusters. We go to the office of the new psychiatrist Dr Houghton (Paul Chesterton) who, with more than a little touch of the obsessive (kinder souls might say attention to detail) is arranging and rearranging two chairs for meeting his new patient, Alex. The layers build with Alex seen in all three contexts as he gets more aggressive with Emily and almost to breaking point with his father. We learn more about Alex's school history and start to be aware of his flare-ups and physical aggression both in what he tells us about his past and how he is behaving now.

Andrew Keatley's play has convincing, fluid dialogue and a well structured, believable storyline. Director Derek Bond and designer James Perkins have kept the set largely similar, only initially delineating Alex's flat as opposed to his parents' house and the doctor's office. From then on, the table which doubles as a desk mounts with the cups of tea made by Hannah, the glasses of wine drunk in London, the glasses of water Alex brings into the doctor's office. I liked this build up of cups and tea pot and glasses, deliberately left there in the interval, symbols of the revelations we have about Alex's last ten years as the record builds, telling us more but also looking muddled. The set is surrounded on two sides by shelves which house a large collection of everyday paraphernalia.

Alex Price as Mark has to be unpleasant, short tempered, increasingly difficult without losing the audience's sympathy. This is partly facilitated by the wit of his acrimony and partly by our feeling that he is suffering. As Dr Houghton says, "The truth is that everybody houses trauma". Price's performance is vulnerable and cocksure, volatile and really interesting to watch. Polly Findlay as sweet natured Emily gets to go home with Mark and meet his parents but this weekend sees the start of a serious unravelling of any attempt at family harmony. Emily doesn't understand what is happening to her boyfriend but she does try to get him more help from an unreceptive Dr Houghton. How has this family been seeing Dr Houghton's predecessor for ten years? There are interesting moments when Mark asks his mother about his birth and childhood, times when we feel the father is such an authoritarian, he may be hiding something, building up to a shocking but cathartic denouement. Only then can Hannah start to clear away the tea cups!

The Old Red Lion is an example of London's smallest drama venues, pub theatres which often deliver new and relevant work by stars of the future to a young audience. Colourings is well written, well acted and well worth seeing.

Colourings
Written by Andrew Keatley
Directed by Derek Bond

With: Alex Price, Polly Findlay, Su Douglas, Alan Charlesworth, Paul Chesterton
Design: James Perkins
Lighting: Sally Ferguson
Producer: Sadie Keenan
Running time: Two hours 5 minutes with one interval
Box Office: 020 7837 7816
Seats £13 or £10 concessions
Booking to 5th July 2008
Reviewed by Lizzie Loveridge based on 22nd July performance at the Old Red Lion Theatre, 418 St John's St, London EC1 (Tube: Angel)
REVIEW FEEDBACK
Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
  • I agree with the review of Colourings
  • I disagree with the review of Colourings
  • The review made me eager to see the Colourings
Click on the address link E-mail: esommer@curtainup.com
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V):

Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email and state if you'd like your comments published in our letters section.

a list of all book reviews, see our,
VALVESGate valvePRESSURE VALVESGlobe valveCHECK VALVES
London Theatre Tickets
Lion King Tickets
Billy Elliot Tickets
Mighty Boosh Tickets
Mamma Mia Tickets
We Will Rock You Tickets
Theatre Tickets
Google
high pressure valve
manual valvevalvesvalve company motorized valveball valvepressure valve buy valvebutterfly valve Check valvereturn valve
Web    
www.curtainup.com
London Theatre Walks


Peter Ackroyd's  History of London: The Biography



London Sketchbook



tales from shakespeare
Retold by Tina Packer of Shakespeare & Co.
Click image to buy.
Our Review


©Copyright 2008, Elyse Sommer.
Information from this site may not be reproduced in print or online without specific permission from esommer@curtainup.com