Play House & Definitely the Bahamas

Wednesday, 14 March 2012 - Saturday, 21 April 2012
Times : 15:00 - 17:45 19:45 - 22:30

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

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

Martin Crimp makes a bold returns to the Orange Tree Theatre - thirty years since his first play Living Remains was produced on its stage -and directs this twofold production, layering a new piece with a radio play first aired in 1986. 

Play House & Definitely the Bahamas can be viewed as two short, self-contained plays or as one piece commenting on the compromising nature of relationships. Crimp's ability to get under the skin of problematic pairings oozes from his writing and exposes the emotional wounds of these dysfunctional lives. 

Play House, structured with dramatic circularity like Definitely the Bahamas, is the tale of a young couple in the tumultuous throws of waning passion. They play like children before they surrender to the banality of their lives and simply "play house". 

Definitely the Bahamas shows an older married couple's internal struggle to accept that their son has turned into quite the oppressor. The staging of Bahamas as a radio play is strangely static and yet maintains our rapt attention. This is no doubt due to Crimp's flair for dialogue and the actors'  performances, especially Kate Fahy who plays a mother consumed by an unconditional love for her son. This is a double whammy for Crimp fans; a new play and a directing debut! 

Jo Sutherland

Saturday 14th April sees Martin Crimp in conversation with theatre critic Aleks Sierz, author of The Theatre of Martin Crimp. The seminar is £10 (£8 concessions).