No Villain (Trafalgur Studios)

[David J]

This is pretty good

Even though this is Arthur Millers first play, the characters and story are well written. About this once rich family whose father runs a business selling and delivering expensive coats.

Only they've hit hard times and have to pay the bank back the loan. Which couldn't come at a bad time because workers are on strike attacking anyone who tries to deliver the coats. And yet the father can't accept what's going on and takes more and more orders

Only the ending made me go "what the hell just happened", but it shows the markings of the famous playwright we all know

And for a 1 hour and 15 minute play I'd highly recommend it

[peelee]

I am pleased that this play which ran at the Old Red Lion Theatre, by Angel, Islington, a good production I saw in December and which ran until January, has been given a run at Trafalgar Studios. Discovered relatively recently in Arthur Miller's papers and this 'first play' staged to tie in with his centenary, it is both autobiographical and is fascinating for the way in which several later Miller storylines in his best known plays echo and appear in embryonic form here. Make allowance for it having been the work of a young man and enjoy the 'real find' this is. Also there's no need for 'spoilers'; just go and see the play and enjoy the experience of the unfolding drama.

[perfectspy]

I also saw this play at the Old Red Lion. Excellent production.

[lonlad]

Didn't see it at the Old Red Lion but I caught the transfer, which is pretty dreadful. Most of the cast can't get to grips with the sounds of the characters, let alone anything deeper, and the play would have been better left untouched - sad to say, there's often a reason why esoterica remains precisely that.

[Jan]

Jun 18, 2016 21:10:58 GMT David J said:

Only the ending made me go "what the hell just happened", but it shows the markings of the famous playwright we all know

I saw this at the Old Red Lion. You are right on the ending, the obvious ending would be to have the son who breaks the strike against his political convictions be killed by the strikers - I was expecting that, it would have been consistent with Miller's theme of personally responsibility, but the actual ending of

SPOILER: Click to show

some peripheral old geezer dying of natural causes

- so what ?