SITE GUIDE
SEARCH
REVIEWS
REVIEW ARCHIVES
ADVERTISING AT CURTAINUP
FEATURES
NEWS
Etcetera and
Short Term Listings
LISTINGS
Broadway
Off-Broadway
NYC Restaurants
BOOKS and CDs
OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
California
New Jersey
DC
Connecticut
Philadelphia
Elsewhere
QUOTES
TKTS
PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS
LETTERS TO EDITOR
FILM
LINKS
MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
Writing for Us
A CurtainUp 
London Review
London ReviewThe Conquest of the South Pole
by Tim Macavoy
|
Wherever I come from, it’s where you come from too. You and all your friends. — The Conquest of the South Pole
|
Cast of The Conquest of the South Pole (Photo: Simon Annand) |
Originally written by East German playmaker Manfred Karge in the 1980s, it doesn’t take much imagination to reset the four friends into London 2012 – the underclass have a particular timelessness when it comes to theatre. Unemployed, disillusioned and drifting, Braukmann, Slupianek, Buscher and Seiffert hide away from the world, recreating Amundsen’s polar conquest with white laundered bed-sheets and pants as their snowy backdrop. The energetic language and complex group dynamic is played with brash theatricality, often falling into surreality. But Braukmann’s wife is on hand to remind the boys that they have worldly responsibilities, and before long their differences force the group to abandon their expedition.
Director Stephen Unwin (of The Rose Theatre, Kingston) uses his experience with classical staging to smash several walls, fourth and all, with this production that he first worked on in 1988. The original helped launch the careers of Ewen Bremner and Alan Cumming; and with this new generation, it looks set to send some very strong actors into the world. Some have already achieved success with TV appearances (such as Being Human’s Andrew Gower as Seiffert who enthuses his now characteristic nervous energy into an intriguing troubled character).
This show will certainly not be a treat for everyone. It’s confrontational, odd, darkly comic and frequently loud. But fans of work that feels new, exciting and raw will sit through a very happy 90 minutes of material that feels as fresh as when it was first performed. Unwin describes it as a parable of hope and despair, dreams and reality. In neatly captures the feeling that in everyday life you can be making your own impossible journey in a blinding landscape. The climax of the play is wonderful. Never have I seen six people count to (almost) 180 and receive such rapturous applause. And with that little teaser, I leave you to your own voyage into the unknown. . . or if you choose to go and see the play for yourself: Dalston…
|
Subscribe to our FREE email updates with a note from editor Elyse Sommer about additions to the website -- with main page hot links to the latest features posted at our numerous locations. To subscribe,
E-mail: esommer@curtainup.comesommer@curtainup.com
put SUBSCRIBE CURTAINUP EMAIL UPDATE in the subject line and your full name and email address in the body of the message -- if you can spare a minute, tell us how you came to CurtainUp and from what part of the country. |
| The Conquest of the South Pole
Written by Manfred Karge Translated by Tinch Minter and Anthony Vivis Directed by Stephen Unwin Starring: Chris Ashby, Sam Crane, Emma Cunniffe, O-T Fagbenle, Mark Field, Andrew Gower, Lauren Johns, Daniel Weyman Design: Hayden Griffin Composer: Corin Buckeridge Lighting: Sherry Coenen Running time: One hour 30 minutes with no interval Box Office: 020 7503 1646 Booking to 26th May 2012 Reviewed by Tim Macavoy based on 30th April 2012 performance at The Arcola Theatre, London E8 3DL (Rail/Tube: Dalston Junction) |
|
REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V): Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email . . . also the names and emails of any friends to whom you'd like us to forward a copy of this review. |
