This week I have two tales of family, devastation, and betrayal for you. Happy Easter!
Ghosts - Lyric Hammersmith
By Henrik Ibsen
In a new version by Gary Owen
Directed by Rachel O'Riordan
2 hours 35 minutes
I put the Lyric Hammersmith in the same bracket as Stratford East; both buildings date back to the 1880s, are far from the West End, but produce fresh challenging work that you can see for less than the cost of interval drinks in central London. Situated in Lyric Square, the Lyric Hammersmith is conveniently located not only next to all the tube lines, but to an IKEA City where you can grab meatballs and cheap candles. A little peek into how I spent my Saturday.
Gary Owen’s adaptation of Ibsen’s Ghosts is currently playing on the main stage. This version of Ghosts centers on Helena (Victoria Smurfit), a widow who has dedicated herself to preserving her late husband's legacy by funding a children's hospital bearing his name. As the hospital's opening approaches her son Oz (Callum Scott Howells) returns home, ex-lover Andersen (Rashan Stone) comes to visit, and all manner of secrets come bubbling to the surface. The modernisation is evidenced by awkward references to vapes and an electric car, and shifts the focus of the play from topics that scandalised 19th century morals to those we still struggle with; incest, legacy, and cancel culture.
As is so often the case in theatre, the incest comes with a heavy dose of dramatic irony and the audience is left on tenterhooks waiting for the concerned parties to discover their relationship. In my review of Oedipus at the Old Vic, I talked about that production’s failure to relish either the reveal or the buildup of that historic plot twist. In Ghosts this is given full focus, pushing other subplots aside in favour of stomach-churning romantic collapse. This is pure melodrama and the audience were eating it up.
As for the topic of historic allegations toppling a public figure, this feels both incredibly current and also shows that the idea of a public scandal causing descendants’ shame is nothing new. Added to the melodrama is a complicated debate weighing up a new hospital against crimes of the past. The cast expertly wrestles with complex material and deliver laughs, explosive moments of rage and passion, and do it all twice on Saturdays.
This is an entertaining, dangerous adaptation of a classic theatrical text. My only complaint would be that at nearly three hours long all that simmering tension can, eventually, get a little exhausting.
Worth the trip to Hammersmith.
Seat: Stalls, G2 - £15
Zero issues in this seat in the fifth row. I was slightly off to one side but was close enough to see the angst, tears, and devastation play out on the actors’ faces.
Show: ★★★★☆
Seat: ★★★★★
Ghosts runs until 10th May 2025.
Personal Values - Hampstead Theatre, Downstairs
By Chloë Lawrence-Taylor
Directed by Lucy Morrison
1 hour
I’ve slung enough mud at the good name of the Hampstead Theatre this week already so will try to take it easy on this short drama that I caught in previews last week. All I will say in relation to my rant is that I stand by my verdict that the Downstairs stage remains a place to see exciting new writing.
One of the joys of the Downstairs theatre is how completely the space changes for each production. Gone was the board game cafe from The Habits and in its place was a picture perfect facsimile of the house of a hoarder. Every corner, every shelf, and most of the floor was covered in sedimentary layers of family history. Piles of old magazines, buckets of cutlery, and endless boxes filled the room with occasional practical elements; a single chair, a kettle, and an electric heater, broke up the clutter.
This is the house of Bea, a woman whose life slowly slipped away from her, who is brilliantly brought to life by Rosie Cavaliero. We only spend an hour in Bea’s company but within that time we learn of how loss, grief, and loneliness have led her to compile a fortress of ephemera around her. Cavaliero is quietly spectacular and heartbreaking. Forced to defend herself to her sister (Holly Atkins) and nephew (Archie Christoph-Allen), it is impossible for the audience to not side with Bea, despite her predicament.
In the hour it had my attention Personal Values carefully painted the portrait of a woman struggling to maintain the pretence of having it all together. Elements outside of the central performance don’t always work, however. The supporting cast can’t match Cavaliero’s authenticity, and an ambitious scene change towards the end felt awkward in the confines of such a small performance space.
Quibbles aside, there is a germ of something special here, and a performance that a fuller show could, and should, be built around.
Long live the Hampstead Theatre Downstairs.
Seat: Stalls, A11 - £10
Seen in previews so the ticket was discounted (and the production is still liable to change). For £10 I sat front and centre, as if on a pile of hoarded newspapers in Bea’s front room.
Show: ★★★☆☆
Seat: ★★★★★
Personal Values runs until 17th May 2025.