Muswell Hill

Wednesday, 8 February 2012 - Saturday, 10 March 2012

Orange Tree Theatre, 1 Clarence Street, Richmond, TW9 2SA

How Much: £21.00 (Highest Price) , £11.00 (Lowest Price)

Muswell Hill tells a simple story set on the day of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. While entire Caribbean communities are buried underneath rubble, we find six Londoners, each victims of individualistic modernity and celebrity culture preparing for a dinner party - with their relationships, egos and self-respect crumbling around their ears.

From Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party to Tim Minchin’s Storm, The 'Islington dinner party' (as I like to pigeonhole it) has a long tradition as a theatrical device. But Torben Betts’ attempt at a new twist on this structure misses the jugular as the plot fails to convey the indifference the guests shows towards the unfolding news events. Even in contrast to their obsession with mobile phones, laptops, careers and personal aesthetics, what's left is a bunch of people not saying anything new about middle-class modernity.

However, the play’s tendency to be an easy ride for fans of light-hearted thought-fodder, left me tempted to wonder if the target audience were exactly the middle-class faux-worldly-wise types depicted, and if this was Betts’ intention, then this was a genius piece of mirror-holding. Put that with the decent performances (a definite stand-out from Dan Starkey) and an engaging and eventful script, regardless of its plot failings and you’re less than likely to feel short changed by this play.

Alex Chappel