The Pitchfork Disney

Wednesday, 25 January 2012 - Saturday, 17 March 2012

Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, Hackney, E8 3DL

How Much: £22.50 (Tickets) , £17.50 (Concessions)

The Pitchfork Disney delivers that fascinating, ugly microcosm of the world we've come to expect from writer Philip Ridley. In their dirty home two adult twins, Haley and Presley, are obsessed with immediate gratification, self-medication and the contradictory, faux post-apocalyptic world they've created. But their isolated world is crudely invaded by the sinister showman Cosmo Disney.

Cosmo's slick, pretty-boy status provides a contrast to the ugly movement and words of the repellently childlike but compellingly poetic twins. Mariah Gale as Haley is a particularly disgusting delight. She embodies a culture of blame that persistently demands to be soothed and her perfectly paced monologues zing with the blatant, widely accepted flaws and fears of our times.

21 years after its original run, it's a good thing this solid revival doesn't shock but it lacks the ferociousness we expect with its subject matter. Chris New as Presley prefers to remain childlike with Haley and Cosmo, playing down his possessive and controlling aspects. Perhaps his lazy yet effective manipulation is the point. Similarly, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett's Cosmo Disney exudes power via seduction and demoralisation not force. His literally shiny presence against that of his more conventionally frightening assistant Pitchfork provides a clear point about our perception of danger, creating something for both a new and familiar generation of theatregoers, which is exactly what a revival should do.

Naima Khan

 

Click here to read our interview with Chris New and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett.