This regional première
of Laura Wade's 'Posh' a stunningly conceived and brilliantly written play
about uber privilege and pomposity hits the Nottingham Playhouse stage like a shattering glass of the wrong sort of wine
served up by the wrong sort of person. Snobbery and cut glass accents
abound and some of the characters are so upper class arrogant that
you would willingly punch them for their self-important ways and
exclusive and ultimately damaging social and political ideals. Saying
that it is very funny and gasp out loud controversial in parts. This
is a co-production between Nottingham Playhouse and Salisbury
Playhouse and only the second production after its Royal Court/ West
End début. The packed audience this evening are testament to the
play's savage humour and well earned credentials.
The almost
predominantly male cast are superbly cast as young Oxford students
from very socially advantaged and moneyed backgrounds where they
blithely forgive their own criminally riotous behaviour by paying
the victims off with wads of cash. Chris, a gastro pub landlord -
convincingly played by Neil Caple (the action is mostly in a fancy
suite in a pub) finds his guests progressively trashing his
establishment and abusing his daughter and is expected to take all
the abuse as long as he isn't left out of pocket. All sentiment for
the human victims goes out of the window like the hired prostitute
who refuses to take part in their lurid games.
The two women's roles
are both strong characters. We have call girl Charlie played with a
firm grip on reality by actress Joanne Evans. Evans also sings
beautifully in Latin during the dramatic scene changes and creates
the mood for the ever darker episodes of the play. The landlord's
quick witted daughter is captured wonderfully by Charlotte Brimble –
a recent graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. To
balance the practically all male acting ensemble we have an all
female creative team with director Susannah Tresilian at the helm.
The use of theatrical space through Tresilian's directorship is
exemplary aided with Ellan Parry's terrific set realisation.
The boys played by Tom Clegg, Dario Coates, Simon Haines, Tom Hanson, Robbie Jarvis, Laurence Kennedy, Philip Labey, Jordan Metcalfe, Tom Palmer, and Jamie Satterthwaite, are portrayed as just that - adults masquerading as - immature 'boys'. Even though a few of the well drawn and complex characters give us reason to be somewhat sympathetic towards their childish behaviour and their desires to put wrongs right they are all lacking in the experience of the real world particularly in their non relationships with the women they encounter. Upper class snobbery rules supreme with these guys and appals throughout. The ensemble work terrifically together and all are utterly believable in their parts. Many times in the play you forget they are acting so engaging are their relationships with each other.
Posh is a cripplingly funny play where the laughs are from the horror of increasingly bad behaviour brought brilliantly to light by the cast and creative teams. The language of the piece can be uncompromising at times even savage in the meaning of ;awesome or amazing and conversely at others it is blunt as fuck. It plays at Nottingham Playhouse only until the 28th February so Carpe Dieum and grab a hot ticket to this five star Trashmeister of a play.
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