In a Forest, Dark and Deep

In a Forest, Dark and Deep

16 March, 2011
by: Naima Khan

Naima Khan reviews Neil LaBute's new play directed by the man himself and starring Matthew Fox and Olivia Williams.

Neil LaBute's In a Forest, Dark and Deep at Vaudeville Theatre sees the writer return to some of his familiar themes. We're presented with a tense pair of siblings dealing with the present in the shadow of a difficult past. Blue collar Bobby helps his sister Betty clear out her cabin despite loathing her dependence on the money and status her deanship has brought her. There's more to it than that though and LaBute reveals each betrayal and lie layer by layer, though disappointingly the pace of the script isn't as clever as it could be.


Thankfully the twist isn't what we're uncomfortably anticipating and there's only a whiff of incest. But once that's over, the crux of the drama reveals itself rather blandly. That's not to say you shouldn't see this. Matthew Fox's performance as an angry middle-aged man who has lost out in love is brilliant. His rational take on morality is hilarious and despite his character's stubbornness and graphic insults, what shines through is his love and respect for his older sister. Even more impressive is the way he shows how much Bobby is looking for the same from her.


With Fox in this tough role, it's difficult to imagine anyone else playing Bobby. Olivia Williams as Betty doesn't have quite the same effect. I can imagine another actress in her role, probably an American one. But she does have a supremely difficult character to play. Betty is a liar, she's completely untrustworthy and her lies come so easily to her, that she forces the audience to keep her at a distance. By the time we know why it is she's cleaning out her cabin, it's difficult to have any sympathy for her.


LaBute also directs this piece, and in doing so proves that writers don't have to be overly precious about their work. But he pushes and pulls the audience so much that his characters lose out. We could really fall for Betty – she's in such a bind – but we leave the theatre not feeling anything much and wanting to shrug off the last couple of hours. But then this is LaBute, so that could be exactly what he intended

In a Forest, Dark and Deep runs until 4th June

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Naima Khan