The Birthday Party

Influential dramatist Harold Pinter has set the bar when it comes to English Theatre. And one of his more oft-performed pieces is The Birthday Party, a deep complex study of people set in shabby boarding house on the English coast. For those wanting a bit of light relief or even a play with a recognisable plot line this is not for you. But The Wick Theatre Company did an excellent job of bringing the unlikeable  characters to life in a well-paced performance that kept you gripped till the end. Pam Luxton excelled as the English housewife who clearly had lost her marbles while Dan Dryer and David Creedon performed with great wit and flair as the Goldberg and McCann double act who are the cause for disrupting the calm day. But sadly no amount of great amateur acting could completely overhaul Pinter’s play which left some leaving the beautiful Barn Theatre wondering quite what the point of the whole work was.

The Barn Theatre, Southwick, 30 March 2016

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