Ruth Leon’s Pocket Theatre Review
Ruth Leon recommendsEmbarrassment is a peculiarly English phenomenon. The sight of that sub-species of the English middle-class struggling with situations that other nations can shrug off makes us, the English middle-class, laugh out loud. That is, when it’s happening to other people, not to us.
The essence of The Unfriend is how we would deal with Debbie and Peter’s situation when a woman they have met on holiday arrives uninvited to stay for an unspecified length of time in their home. A quick trawl through Google has revealed that their houseguest is a multiple, though unindicted, murderer. What to do? How to remove her? Will she react to eviction by murdering them or their teenaged children?
This unfunny little comedy by television writer Steven Moffat is directed, for some unfathomable reason, by the multi-talented Mark Gattis, who does the best he can with what he’s got to work with by choosing an excellent cast, including the always-wonderful Frances Barber as the unwanted houseguest, and making a ragged silk purse out of an undeniable sow’s ear.
It is possible to write about English embarrassment with grace and humour, reducing an audience to helpless laughter at themselves as well as at the characters but it takes a master playwright. And where are Michael Frayn and Alan Ayckbourn when we need them? Not here. And that’s not only a pity but it’s, well, embarrassing.
I couldn’t agree more! Went to see this on Dec 28th having gifted 8 people their tickets for the show and can only say that embarrassment was my prevailing feeling on the very quite train ride home.
Loved it so much was seriously thinking of going a second time. Your reviewer seems to have watched a different play
We went to see it last week and loved it. It was easy viewing, entertaining and a great light hearted and amusing birthday treat. There were lots of laughs from the audience so I don’t think the rest of us there would agree with your comment that it was ‘unfunny’. The cast were fab and the neighbour especially had us sniggering away.
I do not agree with Ruth Leon’s review. We throughly enjoyed it and all the cast were absolutely brilliant. Plus its perfectly directed. They got a standing ovation at the end. Id highly recommend going and seeing it.
I wonder if she’s actually seen, or just relied on hearsay.
Seen this play twice, have taken all three of my children ( son 21, daughters 29 and 31) and my daughter’s partner’s and we all found it extremely funny and entertaining. I have seen it with both casts and couldn’t disagree more, speaking as a very regular theatre goer. I have recommended this to anyone I have spoken to about it. One of my daughters is an accomplished actor and came along with her actor boyfriend, and they both loved it.