On The Waterfront

Thursday, 12 February 2009 - Saturday, 25 April 2009

Theatre Royal Haymarket, Haymarket, Piccadilly, SW1Y 4HT

How Much: £48.00 (Highest Price) , £15.00 (Lowest Price)

Stephen Berkoff directs and acts in his adaptation of the 1954 film which won six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actor for Marlon Brando as aging boxer and dockworker Terry Malloy. That role is taken on in this version by Simon Merrells, while Berkoff (Lethal Weapon II, Rambo, Octopussy) has the good sense to cast himself as the villain, mob boss Johnny Friendly.

When it first came out On The Waterfront made a huge impact because of its photo-realistic depiction of poverty and corruption on the docks of New York. That script has been revised and updated by original screenwriter Budd Shulberg and this stage version, which has had great reviews in Nottingham, retains the same realist vibe, reflecting the seedy glamour of the mob and the hopeless existence of the longshoreman.

It's a fitting subject for Berkoff, who besides being one of Britain's biggest luvvies is keen always to remind people of his tough background. Also, he gives a cracking turn as the amiably murderous Johnny Friendly.