Vincent River - Trafalgar Studios

[BurlyBeaR]

Yet Another Carnival and Hope Mill Theatre Present:
Vincent River By Philip Ridley
Directed by John Young
The regional premiere of Philip Ridleyʼs thrilling and heartbreaking play relocated to Manchester. Vincent River slides under the surface of fear, hatred and love.
Davey has seen something he canʼt forget. Anita has been forced to flee her home. These two have never met. Tonight their paths cross with devastating consequences.
This searing modern classic takes aim at homophobia and hate crime with breathtaking honesty.
“Itʼs like Vince is making the whole world explode. Like when you turn the colour up too much on the telly. Better than real. Magic!”
This production is supported by the Arts Council, Superbia and The Philip Carne Trust.
This project is supported by a grant from Superbia. Superbia Grants provide financial suport for LGBT events as part of Manchester Pride’s commitment to the quality and diversity of cultural events taking place throughout the year in Greater Manchester

[Deleted]

Blimey, you wait a decade for a Vincent River revival then two come along at once!

[n1david]

The Park Theatre production of this is transferring to Trafalgar Studios, 16 May - 22 Jun

www.atgtickets.com/shows/vincent-river/trafalgar-studios/

I saw it at the Park and was impressed by it.

(This probably isn't the right place for this post but couldn't think where else to put it)

[Deleted]

We had a production of this in Cardiff late last year. Despite the most uncomfortable seats in a theatre I've encountered (the plastic chairs you get in school) it's a great play.

[QueerTheatre]

Mar 11, 2019 10:13:25 GMT n1david said:

The Park Theatre production of this is transferring to Trafalgar Studios, 16 May - 22 Jun

www.atgtickets.com/shows/vincent-river/trafalgar-studios/

I saw it at the Park and was impressed by it.

(This probably isn't the right place for this post but couldn't think where else to put it)

Second time this play has been in Traf 2! It used to be a favourite of mine, i even did a speech from it for drama school... but not sure if now is the right time to be reviving shows about queer trauma? Especially those where the focus is mostly on the straight family and how they cope... I'll probably still check it out though.

Lynda Bellingham was fantastic in the last Traf 2 version of this... which wiki tells me was 12 years ago, so now i feel very old. 

[BurlyBeaR]

Thread title updated to reflect newest production.

[QueerTheatre]

Does anyone know if Ridley will be doing any of the post show poetry readings for this? I usually book for a ridley show immediately then regret it as i miss out on the extra bits, but i can't see if any are planned for this?

[mallardo]

Saw this on Press Night and - I was going to say "enjoyed it" but that's not right - was riveted by the play, which I did not know, and by the brilliant performances of Louise Jameson and Thomas Mahy as the two shattered protagonists. This was the 4th Philip Ridley play I've seen and the earliest (2000) so, unsurprisingly, it's much more a traditional drama than some of his later works which, for me at least, require some effort at deciphering (thinking especially of Tender Napalm). What is not traditional is the poetry and power of the dialogue, unrelentingly graphic in a way that goes well beyond any other playwright I can think of.

The piece is beautifully structured - the truth of the situation emerging bit by bit with subtlety and finesse - and is full of blazing speeches, wonderfully handled by Ms Jameson and Mr. Mahy. Mahy, in particular, has an amazing monologue to deliver in which he verbally recreates the crime at the heart of the play and, for a young actor with little experience, he nails it quite magnificently.

An intense and gratifying evening then, well worth your time.

[Dr Tom]

All I can really do is echo the other comments. Saw this last night and thought it was well performed and, in many ways, a powerful demonstration of how British views of homosexuality have changed in the past 20 years. In many ways for the better, but not consistency, as the continued protests in Birmingham demonstrate.

Louise Jameson is wonderful as always and Thomas Mahy really brought his character to life. I saw quite a few wet eyes at the end, so this does pack an emotional punch.

The theatre wasn't full last night, which is a shame for such an intimate venue and that is with offers like the TodayTix one I took advantage of. This is quite a hard sell at the box office. It is an excellent night, a single scene played out over one hour 25 minutes, so a chance to watch a thought provoking play and still leave the theatre before it gets dark outside.

[david]

Caught the final matinee performance today. This really is a powerful piece of 2 handed theatre. Louise Jameson and Thomas Mahy were just great in their respective roles. A big shout out to Thomas, whose performance I thought was at times heart breaking as he portrayed Davy. I think this play really did suit being staged in such an intimate environment as Studio 2 of the Trafalgar Studio as it was able to give the writing and the performances a much bigger impact on the audience.

Certainly, it wasn’t an easy watch, but certainly it brought tears to my eyes as both characters issues played out and tried to find their own peace and resolution to the issues that the play examined.

It’s a shame the auditorium wasn’t sold out, though on the plus side, the FOH staff kindly upgraded my back row side seat to a row B side seat.