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Fiona Mountford's rating
, Desire to shock overwhelms the plot
By
Fiona Mountford
23 May 2008
If Philip Ridley's latest was simply the piece of by-numbers psychosis it threatens to turn into, it would be tedious but largely palatable.
It becomes, however, one of the most gratuitously unpleasant works in months, where plot, character and general point all come a distant second behind a long-past-its-sell-by-date desire to shock.
Initially, it seems Ridley has done something that is at least structurally intriguing, namely weaving together a pair of distinct dramatic strands.
There's the familiar domestic drama, as two messed-up grown-up brothers argue over their late mother's legacy, and the immigration drama, which sees hijab-wearing 15-year-old Lilly give an account of harrowing brutality in her unnamed home country.
These characters form an uneasy, unlikely threesome in Alan and Terry's mother's living room, however, and we long for someone else to arrive. Then we get Medic, and after him Garth, and really wish we hadn't.
In this sort of play, the past is always uncertain terrain. The present, though, is even less predictable and I think Ridley is trying to say that young people today are traumatised and brutalised by the world around them.
However, with characters like these, whose emotions and motivations are as random as the movements in a game of pinball, it's impossible to give two hoots about any of it.
There's undeniably a certain demonic energy to the acting in Lisa Goldman's production, which has Soho's playing space needlessly reconfigured into a traverse staging.
John Macmillan makes mad Medic verbally dextrous and terrifyingly unhinged and Jade Williams does a fine job with that enormous monologue of Lilly's.
But is Lilly really what she seems? Is Medic? Is that plastic doll meant to represent a real baby? I sincerely suggest you don't go to find out.
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Reader views (2)
Like a lot of Ridley's plays, Piranha Heights is harrowing and moving, and it left me feeling as though I had been ripped apart and rearranged. The effect it had on the rest of the audience was substantial as well. Words like 'wow' and 'amazing' were being used in abundance in the bar afterwards.
Using his usual colourful and beautifully poetic language, Ridley manages to portray the wildly different personalities of the plays six characters with incredible flair and dexterity. And this production couldn't ask for a better cast. Matthew Wait and Nicolas Tennant are beautifully mismatched as the pair of dysfunctional brothers. Jade Williams gives a powerful performance as the Muslim girlfriend of Medic, played with simultaneous force and softness by the truly incredible John Macmillan, and Luke Treadaway delivers a masterful performance as the animal-harming teenage son of one of the brothers.
The production rides perfectly on the back of Lisa Goldman's direction and Jon Bausor's design, and being able to see half the audience across the traverse staging constantly reminds us that we are implicated in the plays message, and are much more than mere observers.
This is a fitting and thrilling third instalment in Ridley's exploration of brotherly love, and fans of his previous work will notice recurring themes and ideas. It is a must-see, not just for the rebellious and 'kooky' among you, but for everyone. Ridley has a unique voice, and it must be heard.
- Edward Davis, London, UK, 27/05/2008 16:43
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I thought that Piranha Heights was fantastic, and I am not a regular or avid theatre-goer by any means. It's characters are rich, awkward, and wonderful, and amidst the utter chaos that unfolds on stage, there is at the heart of Piranha Heights, a very real, very accessible domestic tragedy. I was uncomfortable the entire time I was in the theatre and I loved that. There's an edge to the performances and to the writing itself that pulls the audience in and won't let go until long after one's left the theatre. Some will get it, others may not, but if you find something in it to connect with, then Philip Ridley has done his job, and done it well.
- Thomas Doyle, London, Engand, 26/05/2008 09:23
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