Theatre Reviews: Unicorn; (This Is Not A) Happy Room
One wedding, a funeral, and a throuple
This week I’ve cheated a little and haven't reviewed the plays in chronological order like I normally would. As the old saying goes; if you haven’t got anything nice to say, hide that review at the end of the newsletter.
Unicorn - Garrick Theatre
Written by Mike Bartlett
Directed by James Macdonald
2 hours 20 minutes
It's hard to think of much to say about Unicorn - it isn't a theatrical marvel, nor does it revolutionise the form, but it is an entertaining and surprisingly romantic, if a little unhurried, comedy drama. I excitedly bought a ticket for Unicorn when it was first announced and have had my excitement slowly dampened by lacklustre reviews and a general lack of buzz.
Nicola Walker and Stephen Mangan play a long-married couple who are simultaneously perfectly happy and deeply frustrated. Everything is broadly fine until Walker's character suggests bringing a younger woman (Erin Doherty) into their relationship. This inciting incident triggers over two hours of conversation between the throuple in various combinations and on various pieces of furniture.
Unicorn is deceptively simple; a friend of a friend described it as “making a good radio drama” and I find it hard to disagree. Despite the premise, this is not a raunchy sex comedy. Every scene is just two or three of the central throuple sat on a sofa/stool/bench/bed talking - the most action we get being someone entering or exiting the stage. Theatrics are limited to some swift scene changes, as one form of seating is switched out for another, for yet more seated conversations to take place.
It feels strange to see such a stripped back production in a large West End theatre. Unicorn is not here to wow you, but instead execute its craft with confidence. The small cast each embody their characters as authentic humans; entertaining to watch without slipping into caricatures. Meanwhile Mike Bartlett’s script subtly weaves a narrative through dialogue alone, taking his time to paint relationships that draw you in and make the idea of a three people falling in love and lust feel romantic rather than sordid.
On the one hand Unicorn is just three people sat around talking for hours. But on the other hand it is some of the best people sitting around talking you can see.
Seat: Stalls, A13 - £20
I'm not sure what happened here but these seats are priced as though they are severely restricted and instead put you spitting distance from the actors in the third row. Perhaps for other productions this seat would be awkwardly off to one side but here the action is all at the front and center of the stage so my ticket was an absolute steal.
Show: ★★★★☆
Seat: ★★★★★
Unicorn runs until 26th April 2025.
(This Is Not A) Happy Room - King’s Head Theatre
Writer | Rosie Day
Director | Hannah Price
1 hour 30 minutes
I was lured into seeing this play by some of the cast - who I won't mention for fear that they Google themselves - and the fact that I had yet to visit the King's Head Theatre's new venue. The theatre has moved from being a room at the back of a pub to a dedicated theatre space behind that same pub. This new space is four flights of stairs underground and comes complete with its own bar and other liminal spaces. The auditorium is a small intimate space reminiscent of the Park Theatre or Southwark Playhouse. It's lovely to see a new venue spring up and find its feet.
As for the play? Let's start by saying that humour is subjective. On the wrong day even a good comedy can rub you up the wrong way. The last time this happened I was watching The Unfriend and getting more and more annoyed as the rest of the audience laughed while I could not get into the rhythm of the play. This show brought that feeling flooding back, but for the most part, I wasn't the only one not laughing this time.
(This Is Not A) Happy Room takes place in a soulless hotel function room as three siblings reunite for their father's third (maybe fourth) wedding. Each sibling is damaged in a different way and they spit sitcom-style barbs at each other from the moment they meet. Various other family members round out the cast of characters and the already strained relations unravel further when it is announced that their father has been killed in a car accident on his way to the hotel.
From here, the play can't figure out its tone. The death of the father is treated as a punchline and the children turn their focus to converting the planned wedding into an impromptu funeral. The script contains an awkward mix of pithy one-liners, irreverent jokes, and attempts to layer in pathos and an emotional resolution for each of the siblings.
Ultimately the jokes felt too neat and often clumsily set up. And the idea that I should take any of the characters' arcs seriously was laughable, when the death of their father barely dented their spirits. This was a swift 90-minute comedy, but I wasn't laughing. It felt way too long, and the intimate space left me feeling self-conscious that the actors could tell I was having a miserable time.
There's every chance I was just in the wrong mood but this comedy really, really, was not my tempo.
Seat: Stalls, B22 - £25
The King’s Head Theatre only has a few rows flanking three sides of the stage. I was sat facing the stage front on, and was at the end of the row. Sadly my seat was level with the row in front and the tall man sat in front of me blocked a decent chunk of my view. I'd recommend sitting a little further back.
Show: ★★☆☆☆
Seat: ★★★☆☆
(This Is Not A) Happy Room runs until 27th April 2025.