Tag Archives: Brendan Coyle

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“Dealer’s Choice” at the Donmar Warehouse

As the 30th anniversary production of Patrick Marber’s hit show, this revival might prompt questions as to how the play has aged. The short answer is well enough. The script is funny, the drama intense and the characters interesting. It could be mentioned that Marber was looking at men and their relationships before people started talking about toxicity. But if a sharp critique is what you’re looking for you might be disappointed. While this is, undoubtedly, a well-written play and a fine production, it lacks bite.

The poker game a group of restaurant workers hold each Sunday after work is high stakes in several ways. For Mugsy and Frankie, the event connects to their future dreams. The chef, Sweeney, has more modest ambitions – seeing his daughter the next day. Their boss, restaurant owner Stephen, plays to keep an eye on his son, Carl, who has a gambling addiction. The structure is neat, including the introduction of a wild card – a professional gambler called Ash who Carl owes money to.

The men’s banter is dated but amusing. The shifts in their relationships, before and after work, provide dynamism. Individual ambitions power the play and are depicted well by the cast – these are good roles. Hammed Anumashaun stands out by managing to make Mugsy more than a comic device (no small achievement). Meanwhile Theo Barklem-Biggs gives a nicely layered performance as Sweeney. The father-son relationship is depicted by Daniel Lapaine and Kasper Hilton-Hille with skill, the latter continuing to establish himself as a young talent to watch. Carl could easily be dismissed as spoilt and selfish but, alongside Lapaine, the complexity to both characters is filled out. As a final treat, Brendan Coyle’s performance as the world-weary Ash is strong.

Matthew Dunster’s direction is considered. While the action is never rushed, not a moment is wasted. I’m not sure the musical interludes need to be quite so loud, but that might just be my age – nobody needs to be shocked awake here. Moi Tran’s design is a fancy affair, the reveal of the basement the game is played in is sure to impress and the revolving stage is a great idea. So, with so much to praise, why the reservation?

Dealer’s Choice offers a convincing enough snapshot of these men’s lives but it doesn’t take us any further. Marber is generous with his characters – not a bad strategy – and the production follows this. It’s easy to care about the men despite, maybe because of, their flaws. But we can’t escape that they are stuck. None of them is going to win, let alone win big and that grim conclusion seems, oddly, never addressed.

Until 7 June 2025

www.donmarwarehouse.com

Photos by Helen Murray

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“Shining City” at the Theatre Royal Stratford East

A ghost story that isn’t interested in the supernatural? That’s the idea that makes Conor McPherson’s play original. Therapy sessions for John, who thinks he is haunted by his wife, are combined with scenes from the life of his therapist, Ian. But Shining City doesn’t have much time for spooks… or does it?

McPherson highlights how our perceptions shape our lives – not just John’s hallucinations but Ian’s history, too. Whether they appreciate that they are deluded or believe they are taking control is open to debate. These are lives that seem lonely or stuck. The characters are indulged but interesting, and McPherson’s telling of the tale is excellent

Without doubt, McPherson writes great roles. Rory Keenan as Ian is in every scene and is fantastic. And there’s strong support from Brendan Coyle, Curtis-Lee Ashqar and Michelle Fox. 

Might Coyle’s John be funnier? McPherson is famed for his dark wit, even if this play is restrained, but humour isn’t on director Nadia Fall’s agenda. As Coyle recounts “all the silence” in his troubled marriage – behaviour that now makes him guilty – you can appreciate the depth of a skilled portrayal.

The quiet power of Ian anchors the show. A lot of time is spent listening to others talk and an unrushed Keenan becomes fascinating to watch as he suggests the slightest touches of not just boredom, but of someone hiding the fact that they are bored! Balanced with revelations (and questions) about the therapist’s past and future, showing different sides of his character, it’s great stuff. Nonetheless, Fall takes the slow pace too far, which – combined with some lengthy scene changes – dilutes tension too much.

Even if this production is a narrow view of what the text offers, the writing and performances are strong enough to earn it plenty of stars. 

As the characters try to convince themselves that their lives are getting better and their perceptions improving, McPherson wants to be clear – those perceptions are only personal. If John buries his guilt, might Ian, somehow, be about to inherit the ghost? There’s a surprise in store that makes sure you leave the theatre with goosebumps.

Until 23 October 2021

www.stratfordeast.com

Photo by Marc Brenner

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“Mojo” at the Harold Pinter Theatre

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Jez Butterworth’s play, Mojo, was a huge hit in 1995 for the Royal Court and its revival at the Harold Pinter Theatre is a welcome event. The première work from a playwright destined for huge success, it’s set in gangland Soho in the late 1950s, with the owner of a nightclub and would-be music promoter murdered. Menace is continually offset by ineffectual gangsters, and then reinjected by mental instability and manic tension. It’s a playwright’s script, full of inspiration from modern masters, with the language poetically reflecting the new craze for rock and roll. A fine plot, superb characters and serious comedy secure wide appeal. There’s high drama, breathtaking suspense and laughs out loud from a sense of humour that is darkly, madly, deeply funny.

Daniel Mays (Potts) and Rupert Grint (Sweets) in Mojo. Photo credit Simon Annand
Daniel Mays and Rupert Grint

For this revival, the focus is sure to be on a stellar cast. And they don’t disappoint. Brendan Coyle takes time off Downtown Abbey to play the man ready to step into his assassinated boss’s shoes, claiming possession of the club while trying, and failing, to control his staff. He has to deal with Sweets and Potts, a pill-popping double act played by Rupert Grint, of Harry Potter fame, who makes a fine West End debut and can’t be blamed for being upstaged by the excellent Daniel Mays, who has the audience in the palm of his hand. It’s just as hard to ignore rising star Colin Morgan who gives a superb performance as another employee. In common with his colleagues, Morgan shows the thin skin underneath the machismo and how these men see the club, with all its power politics, as a home and family as well as career.

But it is Ben Whishaw who is the real star of the night. In the role of Baby, abused son to the murdered owner, and a damaged character who bursts into song and runs around with a sword, he manages to make both activities just as frightening. It’s his finest performance since Hamlet back in 2004 and makes you ponder about connections between the two plays. Avoiding plot spoilers, it’s fair to say something is rotten with the state of the nightclub and, if this insane heir-apparent isn’t indecisive, the court politics and innocent victims ring bells. It’s a resonance that indicates how rich Butterworth’s play is – concerning men, their place in the world and with one another, that run deep. This Mojo is box-office magic that lives up to expectations and really is as good as it sounds.

Until 8 February 2014

Photos by Simon Annand

Written 16 November 2013 for The London Magazine