Skeleton Crew - Donmar

Saw this tonight, and its an apparently uneventful play set in a factory break room that slowly simmers into something fantastic and deeply moving.

The performances of all 4 principals were far far above average, being minutely and exceptionally observed, with Tobi Bamtefa's Reggie a truly great unmissable performance, in my opinion, even at this preview stage.

While at first it appears that Michael Longhurst will be going out with a whimper, ultimately, he goes out with a walloping bang accompanied by extremely misty eyes, at least for me.

Some spoilers follow. . .

I did notice two walkers, who left even before the interval. I mention this as it's important you don't just see this production through my eyes. I'd say those people left because it seemed to them like nothing was happening with the characters, just chit chat and idling moments before and after work in a factory break room.

I mean, at first you might mistake it for the extreme naturalism of Alexander Zeldin, where it's apparently just ordinary lived life on stage, but behind this one, a typical drama about workplace tensions is being fashioned, whereby redundancies are knocking off employees one by one, and someone's going to be next.

Mike Bartlett told a similar story in "Bull," albeit much less realistically, much more dramatically, by just having the employees face off in a ring lol. But where that was ultimately just Hobbesian nastiness in an exciting format, this is much more like real life, with genuine lived in ties that bind between these employees, in a less exciting but more deeply felt format.

There are two older employees, a union rep (Pamela Nomvete's Faye) and a junior manager (Tobi Bamtefa's Reggie), and they have a long-lived, deeply heartfelt bond between them. And there are two younger employees, Rachael Ofori's Shanita and Branden Cook's Dez, who have a short-lived but still heartfelt bond between them. The nature of these bonds are carefully built by the playwright over the running time, through banter, and without realising it, I found myself caring very much about all the characters.

Incidentally, two of the performers here are graduates of the National's exceptional Nigerian "Three Sisters," with Ofori one of the sisters, and Bamtefa the hapless brother lol.

Anyhow, the performances are simply wonderful, with Cook carrying doom on his shoulders with bracing resilience, Ofori carrying a child in her belly with a blinkered endearing sparky brightness, and Nomvete carrying a whole world of painful memories in a mysterious fortress of blankness, shielded by a moat ofhumour and good will.

That Tobi Bamtefa's huffing, wavering, secretive Willy Lomanesque manager, trying to obey orders from above about giving out marching orders below, while remaining liked and true, somehow comes to absolutely OWN this show is a testament to some absolutely remarkable moment to moment acting that had my heart breaking multiple times.

So, yes, this play does feel a bit uneventful for sustained periods, but then it builds into something small but precious that is terrific and memorable to the tune of 4 and a half stars from me.

Thanks and fare well, Michael Longhurst.

Was at press night last night, enjoyed but didn't love this but its a very good production with an excellent small cast. I was sat at the interval wondering what I was missing but fortunately things kick into gear in the second half and whilst I found some of it overly earnest, it did eventually win me over.



Pamela Nomvete is terrific as Faye and was also er, distracted by Branden Cook 

I really enjoyed this - excellent cast,skilful script.There was (I thought) an authenticity to it that, say, Alma Mater lacked. Mr Foxa, who is hard to please, liked it and was looking up all the actors' bios afterwards, trying to figure out who was actually American, because they were just so good.

I think because I had some Covid credits when I booked Primary Trust for which this show was substituted, I ended up with very good Row B Stalls tickets.As I am almost always seated in the side Circle seats, it made me appreciate how good the Stalls are. I wonder if I am reaching an age when I need to plump for more expensive seats....

I saw this last night and really enjoyed it. Similar to Sweat but more nuanced, and excellent performances from everyone but especially Tobi Bamtefa as Reggie. I don't mind that nothing much happens as I enjoy this kind of naturalistic play where people just talk and it's about the details and the small everyday drama. If I have to nitpick I'd say I didn't much care for one of more romantic events in the second part- in fact I rolled my eyes at that, but I loved the ending.

I enjoyed this, thought it was very good!

Confession time - only went to see this because I wasn't going to be able to make it on time to the King's Head to see Eng-er-land... BUT...I really liked this! It is sort of Arthur Millerish in a good way except the acting and setting is more naturalistic and not over-dramatic as Miller can sometimes be. The four players are all good individually, and better as an ensemble, but the way in which Tobi Bamtefa - I remember him being a very good Idi Amin in Last King of Scotland at Sheffield - comes to dominate the situation when his character is well-meaning but insecure is pretty impressive. As is Pamela Nomvete as his ally/foil.

Yes it's a play set in Detroit and of its time and place (and American plays sometimes leave me grasping for context) but Dominique Morriseau's themes and emotions are universal and I can't really give it higher praise than that.

Having seen it after the rather overblown and, to me, ethically dubious Death of England plays it was refreshing to see a work which goes about its business analysing human characters, actions and reactions without seeking to shock and create animosities, pointing of fingers and it wasn't me guvvishness. Perhaps we Brits are sometimes so up our own entrails that we fail to see what's really going on in the outside world.