Tag Archives: Helena Wilson

“The Hills of California” at the Harold Pinter Theatre

With characteristic ambition and skill, playwright Jez Butterworth and director Sam Mendes have, surely, created another hit show. Following their work together on The Ferryman in 2017, this new piece can be regarded as a further meditation on storytelling, love and loyalty. It is grown-up, intelligent theatre that lives long in the mind.

The Hills of California is a family drama with four sisters reunited at their mother’s death bed. It’s a big play, as flashbacks show each woman at a younger age – and in the past we also see their mum, Veronica. Mendes and a talented cast make the action clear, the characters are all wonderful studies and the performances consistently good.

The girls, the Webb Sisters, are drilled as a singing and dancing troupe (think the Beverleys). But only one, Joan, gets a shot at fame in those titular, promised hills. The story behind this chance for success is dark. Butterworth flips effortlessly between ages, showing us dramatic events and their repercussions.

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Nicola Turner, Nancy Allsop, Lara McDonnell and Sophia Ally

There’s Jill and Ruby, timid in their youth, one staying at home and the other settling for a loveless marriage – roles that Helena Wilson and Ophelia Lovibond reveal with skill. Meanwhile, Gloria is bitter from the start, her anger lifelong, leading to a heart-wrenching performance from Leanne Best. And let’s not ignore other cast members who play the girls when they are young – Nancy Allsop, Sophia Ally, Lara Mcdonnell and Nicola Turner – who we see a lot, sound great and complement the leading roles superbly.

This is a fantastic ensemble, but the show belongs to Laura Donnelly, who plays the mother in earlier scenes and then the prodigal Joan. So, we get to see the formidable stage mother and her main victim portrayed by the same performer. The nuance Donnelly brings to both women is a fitting tribute to Butterworth’s script, complete with uncomfortable suggestions about how cold and cruel both are. There’s a danger of Donnelly taking over – at times the show feels like a showcase for her – but she gives not one but two amazing performances.

The setting – Blackpool in the late 1970s – is vividly evoked and provides a lot of humour. An interest in working-class characters is a key part, for me, of what makes Butterworth’s work stand out. And Butterworth manages better than most to get laughs without coming across as patronising. There are problems with the male roles, which are, surprisingly, close to poor. In the past, a sinister talent scout and a down at heel comedian are flat. In the 1970s, there is a better role for Sean Dooley as Gloria’s husband. But all the men make the play feel baggy.

Maybe it’s that the storytelling the men instigate (be it tales of celebrity or how a juke box works) aren’t that interesting. Or that the men don’t sound as good! Songs tell us a lot here – shared aspirations and then family memories – and they are incorporated superbly and with remarkable confidence by Mendes. Putting so much music in the production is a brilliant move. Mrs Webb describes songs as places – they are a source of promise, providing a hopeful heart to the play, and an optimistic conclusion, despite the past.

Until 15 June 2024

www.hillsofcaliforniaplay.com

Photos by Mark Douet

“Linck & Mülhahn” at the Hampstead Theatre

A true story about a gender-nonconforming couple in 18th-century Germany has been rescued from history by playwright Ruby Thomas. The source material – predictably, records of a trial – is scant but has served as the inspiration for a fulsome and rewarding script.

Anastasius Linck was born female but lived as a man and had a military career before marriage to Catharina Mülhahn in 1720. The subsequent trial of both offered Thomas what must have been tempting opportunities (Linck spent time as a prophet!) that have been condensed to present a focused show with epic qualities of romance and history.

If it crosses your mind that Linck & Mülhahn sounds sentimental or worthy, the sparkling script corrects this quickly. There is a wicked balance of old and new idioms that is a delight. Some of the metaphors are heavy, but plenty have charm. And the dialogue is fun!

The serious subject and often playful tone make great titular roles for Maggie Bain and Helena Wilson, who are both excellent. There’s a strong part, too, for Mülhahn’s mother, where Lucy Black gets to show off comedy skills before revealing her character’s spite and becoming an interesting villain.

Director Owen Horsley gives us romance but stops the lovers becoming too sweet by emphasising their wit. It’s a shame that contemporary music breaks up the scenes – it feels a lazy way to make the show feel modern – but Simon Wells’ deceptively simple set is highly effective.

There are a lot of philosophers mentioned in the play (although, interestingly, not Kierkegaard, who I suspect is closest to Thomas’ heart), which is an easy way to get big questions aired. All the talk of “essences” might be explored more. And the intellectual atmosphere of the age is evoked a little loudly. But the play’s attempts to respect history, avoiding modern labels for its protagonists, while making contemporary concerns clear and moving, is impressive. There’s an excellent sense of balance and directness throughout Linck & Mülhahn that shows intelligence.

Maggie-Bain-and-Helena-Wilson-in-Linck-&-Mülhahn-final-credit-Helen-Murray

It’s no plot spoiler to reveal that in real life the story ends sadly. So, getting the Queer Joy that’s topical (and so welcome that I’ve capitalised it) is hard. Fear not, as Thomas makes every effort and is aided by Marty Cruickshank, who plays Mülhahn’s older self. This is not a big role, but Cruickshank might just end up the star of the show – recounting the sheer bliss of her marriage provides the “light” the play is explicit about wanting.

The trial scene is uncomfortable but is tackled as an odd blend of humour and inspiration. Stock judges and lawyers – pompous, sharp or asleep – are there to be laughed at. We can applaud those who testify for Linck – and both concluding speeches. But the final cheers are for the writer, Thomas. The parting between the couple is wonderfully romantic and a fanciful touch that brings us into the present provides a heart-stopping ending.

Until 14 March 2023

www.hampsteadtheatre.com

Photos by Helen Murray

“White Noise” at the Bridge Theatre

An African American man volunteering to be the slave of his white friend is the core idea that guarantees Suzan-Lori Parks’ play is memorable. Is it brilliantly provocative, instantly horrifying or a gimmick? That Parks acknowledges all possibilities is to her credit.

Coming after a police assault, Leo says he will be safer as the wealthy Ralph’s property. Commentary doesn’t come more damning. Parks uses the experiment to raise the issue of inherited trauma and invites scepticism – Leo’s an artist and there’s the chance his project is a performance.

The ramifications, set over 40 days, prove dizzying even if they are well handled. Even the harshest critic couldn’t say White Noise has just the one trick. In exploring the ‘virus’ of racism Parks thinks big and commands respect.

There is an intelligent contribution on the topic of ‘woke’ culture. As the men’s partners, Dawn and Misha – a YouTuber and a lawyer respectively – try to make the world a better place, and Parks documents their trials and hypocrisies with a steely eye and a keen ear (the verbose dialogue is something else).

The idea of privilege is examined, too – forcing all the characters to ‘check’ themselves. This high-achieving quartet of college graduates seems to have no money worries. Instead, there is a cloying concern for status. And there’s the superb conceit of a – literal – ‘White Club’ that Ralph ends up joining. A conspiracy I found particularly creepy.

The play fizzes with ideas – but not the stage. Of course, the experiment ends badly – that’s no surprise – but the effects on all disappoints. Despite the efforts of a strong cast – Ken Nwosu, Helena Wilson, Faith Omole and James Corrigan – the friends fall apart too quickly and feel like puppets for Parks.

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Ken Nwosu

The confused relationships and affairs between the four prove tiresome and predictable. A desire to be comprehensive and even-handed results in four excellent monologues (Nwosu’s comes first and is especially strong), but these make the show very long indeed. Each character spends too much time thinking about themselves to be appealing. With all the self-awareness, much of dialogue sounds like a mission statement.

Director Polly Findlay respects Parks’ considered arguments and adopts a slow, even pace that compounds the problem. The scope and insight of Parks’ writing is impressive, but more focus might make a better play.

Until 13 November 2021

www.bridgetheatre.co.uk

Photos by Johan Persson