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
Connecticut
Philadelphia
Elsewhere
QUOTES
TKTS
PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS
LETTERS TO EDITOR
FILM
LINKS
MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
Writing for Us
A CurtainUp 
London Review
London ReviewRed Bud
|
I never said Red Bud was the most exciting thing in my life. It's just an exciting thing. In my life. Like every time we go. It's exciting. And fun. — Jason
|
Roger Evans (Shane Cupples) and Hywel Simons (Jason Cobbs) (Photo: Simon Kane) |
Four men meet up for the Red Bud races. Normally Greg (Peter McDonald) arrives as a competitor with his bike and supporting his antics on a bike in the air gives the group its focus. But this year Greg hasn't brought his bike. Instead there is his pregnant wife Jen (Lisa Palfrey) and the whole group feels let down.
Red Bud opens dramatically with Jason (Hywel Simons) whose leg is on fire after he mistimes a jump over the camp fire. This image of up in the air and then rolling around down in flames is reminiscent of the motorcross event, the risk of landing the daring manoeuvre badly. The catalyst here is the arrival of Jana Dafflito (Isabel Ellison), Fireman Bill Ronfeldt (Trevor White)'s much younger girlfriend, "some piece of nineteen year old pussy". Gorgeous and sexy, the other guys can do little other than ogle and feel jealous of Bill's luck in pulling this girl. Her youth also reminds them that they are getting older. Jen, heavily pregnant, mopes around looking miserable and is resented by Greg who openly criticises her. Greg fields the disappointment that he isn't competing this year.
Tom Hadley's realistic set has tents and grass and even a real trailer and there is the constant buzz of the crowd but I'm not sure the onstage tent erection went as smoothly as it might. Although the performances are convincingNeveu's playdoesn't seem to have anything of great moment to comment on other than a general sense of nostalgia for past camaraderie now lost and the destructive power of alcohol and youth.
Red Bud opened on the day when the Royal Court received a record number of nominations, more than any other theatre including the National Theatre in the 2010 Evening Standard awards for their risk taking and often very successful programme of new writing.
|
Subscribe to our FREE email updates with a note from editor Elyse Sommer about additions to the website -- with main page hot links to the latest features posted at our numerous locations. To subscribe,
E-mail: esommer@curtainup.comesommer@curtainup.com
put SUBSCRIBE CURTAINUP EMAIL UPDATE in the subject line and your full name and email address in the body of the message -- if you can spare a minute, tell us how you came to CurtainUp and from what part of the country. |
| Red Bud
Written by Brett Neveu Directed by Jo McInnes Starring: Peter McDonald With: Trevor White, Roger Evans, Lisa Palfrey, Isabel Ellison Design: Tom Hadley Lighting: Jon Clarke Sound: Fergus O'Hare Running time: One hour 15 minutes without an interval Box Office: 020 7565 5000 Booking at the Royal Court to 13th November 2010 Reviewed by Lizzie Loveridge based on 25th October 2010 performance at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, Royal Court, Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AS (Tube: Sloane Square) |
|
REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V): Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email . . . also the names and emails of any friends to whom you'd like us to forward a copy of this review. |
|
London Theatre Tickets Lion King Tickets Billy Elliot Tickets Mighty Boosh Tickets Mamma Mia Tickets We Will Rock You Tickets Theatre Tickets |
