Mercury Fur

Wednesday, 30 May 2012 - Saturday, 23 June 2012
Times : 15:00 - 17:00 19:45 - 21:45

Trafalgar Studios, 14 Whitehall, Westminster, SW1A 2DY

How Much: £15.00 (Tickets) , £12.00 (Concessions) , £7.00 (Lowest Price)

Woo hoo! The Greenhouse Theatre production of Philip Riding is being transferred to the West End. Here's what we thought of the fringe run (at Old Red Lion Theatre):


Even by writer Phiip Ridley?s standards, Mercury Fur is outrageously violent and this latest staging by Greenhouse Theatre makes for unsurprisingly uncomfortable viewing. We find ourselves in a dystopian London ruled by gangs, riots and brutality, where any form of collective consciousness or memory has been effaced by hallucinogenic drugs called ?butterflies?. It is in this mess that we find two brothers setting up a party for a wealthy client to enact his ultimate fantasies.

Greenhouse?s production is directorially a safe one without any particularly imaginative staging, but the play is so unhinged that it still works as a thoroughly absorbing and disturbing watch. It starts slowly and the pace lulls at times, but this difficult piece is nonetheless well handled. Understanding the intricate complexity of personal relationships between the characters is key here and all such interactions are very convincingly played. Ridley?s divisive monologues are expertly treated, as is the lyricism and linguistic playfulness of his dialogue. It?s not an easy play to see and even if you look away at crucial moments, this production won?t let you off the hook.

Vicky Sparrow