THE world premiere of Romance was in Manhattan, in February. By all accounts the Broadway audiences do not seem to have accorded it unreserved acclamation.
It opened here under Lindsay Posner’s direction and that, it was whispered, would improve it. It lasts 100 minutes which includes a 20-minute interval and is more surreal than farce.
As they said about the condemned murderer, his appeal fell upon deaf ears. The courtroom set is imposing and proper. The judge, John Mahoney from Frasier, is hearing a case against a Jewish chiropractor Nigel Lindsay.
His honour thinks at first he is a chiropodist, who is defended by a zealous Catholic lawyer. In the opening moments the judge has a severe attack of hay fever, accompanied by loud sneezes. This is not eased as he consumes large amounts of anti-histamine. And by the way, judge and defending council are anti-Semitic and homophobic.
Mahoney’s manic behaviour gets worse. At one stage he takes off his robe and strips down to the vest. Prosecutor Nicholas Woodeson is a semi-closet gay who has a domestic upset with his lover over a burnt cooking pot.
Bernard (Paul Ready), armed with the pot later bursts into the court demanding with all the vindictiveness of a stereo-typed Manhattan homosexual, instant redress and ends up being cuddled and consoled by the judge.
There are lots of F-word outbursts and one splendid explosive confrontation between the chiropractor and his bigoted Catholic lawyer but this is not enough.
The defendant confesses hysterically to a number of crimes, including an admission that he had sex with a goose and cleans his pocket of feathers to prove it.
What to make of it? Not much I am afraid, although large medals of endurance to the actors. Mamet has been rightly praised for much of his work but this is as funny as a road accident. This Romance was a brief affair and not consummated on my part. Only the pavements of Islington moved under my feet as I hurried away. The ground certainly did not shake.

Until October 22
020 7359 4404

Social exposé

AFTERBIRTH - ARCOLA
by Dean Matthewson

TEENAGE Baz returns from a care home to his north London home. Dreaming of starting afresh, he soon finds himself embroiled in the troubles of the estate, troubles that hit his family hardest.
Dave Florez’s first full length play is hard to pigeonhole. In equal turns hilarious and disturbing, the playwright spins Baz’s dark tale with hearty doses of comedy and uncompromising shocks.
Afterbirth is a caricature of life on an estate, a microcosm of a neighbourhood’s ills centred on one family and the spaces they inhabit.
A good portion of the action unfolds in Baz’s living room, his family the victims and also the perpetrators of the estate’s sins.
Even at a brisk hour and a half the play covers a whole range of issues, from paedophilia and domestic abuse, to prostitution and police brutality.
It’s a testament to the play’s storytelling that it does not become bogged down with the weight of its material, its dark periods relieved by measured and well timed humour, all the time aided by David Judge’s sympathetic performance as Baz.
Central to the play is Baz’s relationship with his baby brother Alan.
He quickly finds himself with a role beyond his years as Alan’s surrogate mother, hoping that he can protect the baby and allow him to enjoy the childhood he never had. As Baz laments: “When was I ever young?”
Now the baby is the emotional saviour through which Baz can try to escape the sins of the estate.
Afterbirth achieves the often unobtainable goal of being a thoroughly entertaining play, both energetic and funny, while also managing to shock the audience.
It gives us all plenty to think about by addressing some of the ignored social ills that exist in our neighbourhoods.

Until October 5
020 7503 1646

Show on schizophrenia can’t make up its mind

ROS–A–LIA OR SCHIZOPHRENIA - Lion and Unicorn
By REBECCA OMONIRA-OYEKANMI

LIKE its title, this fascinating dramatic exploration into the minefield of schizophrenia cannot decide whether it is this or that.
Tamara Candala’s script suffocates itself; lumbered with the sharp thematic intensity of politics, incest, sex: both erotic and gender focused, relationships and class division. Each individual aspect of the performance is compelling but thrown into a two-hour slot it simply becomes a confused and slightly irksome tangle.
The performances were fascinating and the actors successfully drew the audience into the tormented mind of Rose. They certainly had a challenging premise.
Rose appears to have a sister, Lilly, who she is deeply in love with as is her husband.
This is set against the background of a lecherous parrot, a seemingly unhinged maid, Rose’s own morally suspect activities as a renowned scientist and a crusading homosexual journalist determined to seduce Rose and the secrets of her mind.
Initially the acting seems forced and slightly too theatrical but as the storyline develops the performances unravel. This was mainly due to the intensity of Eva Kostarelli’s performance, which brilliantly illuminated each scene.
An intriguing element was Iain Peacock as the Parrot. Through his physical performance, Peacock prevents any distracting amusement by simply not looking like a man dressed up as a parrot.
Although this is completely wasted during his attempts to seduce Nora the maid (Fiona Lesly)!
Ros-a-Lia or Schizophrenia is a brave but flawed attempt to dramatically conjure the experience of schizophrenia. Its quirky elements make it interesting viewing.

Until October 11
020 7485 9897