Post by joem on Sept 9, 2016 22:50:02 GMT
I saw the original production with Ian Mckellen and Jane Asher (Emma Chambers played the 13 year old daughter!) and must admit this did not seem to me to be the most obvious candidate for a revival.
Set in a dystopian near-future where gangs roam the streets and people live in fear, it is basically the story of an Ayckbournian family - separated couple, he is an obsessive composer and she refuses to allow him to see their daughter - but the most engaging character is the composer's robot, developed as an automated babysitter but cast aside when problems arise with the prototypes.
The first act drags, largely because Ayckbourn is out of his safe territory and his dystopia is sketchy and, well, not that interesting. The play comes to light in the scocnd half when this unhappy family shows us how it is unhappy. At a deeper level this play is about creation, love and sacrifice. But at the entertainment level, which is where Ayckbourn plays normally score highly, the set-up lets this play down.
Special mention for Laura Matthews who is excellent as the robot in the second part of the play.
Set in a dystopian near-future where gangs roam the streets and people live in fear, it is basically the story of an Ayckbournian family - separated couple, he is an obsessive composer and she refuses to allow him to see their daughter - but the most engaging character is the composer's robot, developed as an automated babysitter but cast aside when problems arise with the prototypes.
The first act drags, largely because Ayckbourn is out of his safe territory and his dystopia is sketchy and, well, not that interesting. The play comes to light in the scocnd half when this unhappy family shows us how it is unhappy. At a deeper level this play is about creation, love and sacrifice. But at the entertainment level, which is where Ayckbourn plays normally score highly, the set-up lets this play down.
Special mention for Laura Matthews who is excellent as the robot in the second part of the play.
