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Cloaca
is at the Old Vic, Waterloo Road SE1
Tickets £10 - £40,
£12 for under-26s (100 tickets each perf)
Until 11 December
Box office: 0870 060 6628
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Cloaca
(Old Vic)
Film
actor-turned-stage director Kevin Spacey and former ITV programme
chief-turned-theatre producer David Liddiment – both of whom
have just taken over the running of Waterloo's Old Vic – may
be looking forward to opening a new chapter in the history of this
beautiful theatre.
| "
Cloaca
positively meanders around, with occasional shafts of humour
and insight that pierce through the gloomy darkness of the story..." |
But
their opening production proves to be a bold but ultimately curious
choice.
Cloaca
is the British premiere of a Dutch play that revolves around a group
of 40-something friends looking back in disillusionment at the compromises
and failures their lives have variously become.
They
have a litany of woes between them, stretching from a failed marriage
(the politician, played by Hugh Bonneville) and a failing erection
(Neil Pearson's playwright) to mental breakdown (Adrian Lukis' lawyer)
and a precarious financial position ( Stephen Tompkinson's local
government official).
uncertain
focus
Cloaca
– the word is Dutch for a waste pipe that carries away sewage
– is a play of dramatic effluence which seeps from the hearts
of these four men.
Like
Yasmina Reza's Art, it's another continental take on the
ties that bind and come between male friendships, written also by
a woman (in this case Maria Goos).
But
it's not nearly as cool, smart and fast as Art proved to
be.
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Kevin
Spacey's production tries to reign in the play's uncertain
focus
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In
fact it positively meanders around, with occasional shafts of humour
and insight that pierce through the gloomy darkness of the story.
Spacey's
own production tries to reign in the uncertain focus, and his cast
harness considerable energy in its service.
But
they are slowly defeated by a play that may have been a big hit
in Holland, but is as bleak as the situation each character finds
themselves in.
Agree
or disagree with our review? Add your comments below...
| Your
Comments |
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Maaike - The Netherlands
In fact,'cloaca' is a word derived from latin.
Ian Bowden
A thoughtful cand challenging piece of theatre that portrays a difficult situation well whilst at the same time remaining a piece of theatre. The performances by all concerned were superb and created a mesmeric show for all in attendance. I hope the show tours at some point.
Emma, Essex
I thought it was a wonderuflly touching play that reminds you just how fickle life is & how uncertain even the most certain things in life are.
Adrian Lukis also gvae possibly the best performance I have seen all year. Well done!
Roxy - London
I saw the play yesterday with the understudies playing the characters of Jan and Tom. I loved the play. I enjoyed the dialogue and thought the acting was brill - congratulations to the understudies - they were fab, as was Stephen Tompkinson and Neil Pearson.
Bert van Wier - Nederland
Cloaca – the word is Dutch for a waste pipe that carries away sewage –. Sorry to inform you butthe word "Cloaca" is NOT a Dutch word. Waste pipe is called "Afvoer pijp"
Gill Travers
I am going to see this play again. I've seen the Dutch film of the play where the pace is slower. This cannot happen in Spacey's play where all the action is in one room. Your review has the focus as uncertain, but this is the blurry present the characters find themselves in. For me the drama pivots around what binds us to life/living;what binds us to old friends. These are big themes to struggle with, and if you empathise with the four men and where life has taken them, you won't be surprised at the denouement.
The play adds a fresh vibrancy to the standard themes played out on the stage of the Old Vic. You should see this, as it's the start of something new.
Wendy
I saw this play and loved it!! The cast is suberb and it has a definate Spacey touch so if you don't like that you won't like this, but I did !!
Don't rely on what the critics say, they're not always right.
Gail in Albany, NY, USA
FYI: "cloaca" may be the Dutch word for a sewer pipe - but for the rest of us its roots are Greek and refers to the common cavity into which the intestinal, urinative and generative canals discharge in birds, reptiles, amphibians, many fish and monotrmate animals. Either way: it's all sh**!
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