"My Night with Reg" was a great evening out... feels weird to say this about a play that revolves for a big part about aids, but it was very funny, focussed on friendships and relationships as well as the never mentioned killing nightmare of the 80s.
Reg is the central character that we never meet, a binding force of a circle of friends of gay men. We see 3 gatherings of friends in the flat belonging to Guy, who as far as we can tell is the complete opposite of Reg character-wise. Confidant of everybody, but somehow on the outside of the circle. The shadow of Aids hangs over all gatherings yet it is never mentioned by name. That sounds dark and gloomy, but really this play is written playful and witty, it's vibrant, full of energy and laughter yet dealing with a broad array of emotions.
The entire cast was excellent. Personally I adored Richard Cant's Bernie... billed as the most boring character but I loved him!
Kudos to the director Robert Hastie, Donmar stages it's plays with audience equally divided on 3 sides so you really need to play to them all, two guys briefly go full monty, beautiful bodies on display... it was nice to see Hastie made sure in his staging that all in the audience got the 360 view.
The play ran straight through without intermission, almost 2 hours, fully enjoyable, never boring.
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| Geoffrey Streatfeild (Daniel) and Jonathan Broadbent (Guy). Photograph Johan Persson |
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| Geoffrey Streatfeild (Daniel) and Jullian Ovenden (John). Photograph Johan Persson |
Cast:
Jonathan Broadbent (Guy)
Geoffrey Streatfeild (Daniel)
Julian Ovenden (John)
Lewis Reeves (Eric)
Richard Cant (Bernie)
Matt Bardock (Benny)
director: Robert Hastie
Julian Ovenden (John)
Lewis Reeves (Eric)
Richard Cant (Bernie)
Matt Bardock (Benny)
director: Robert Hastie
playwright: Kevin Elyot
review blurbs:
The Playwright Kevin Elyot died, aged 62, around the time this revival was going into rehearsal. It’s sad he’s not around to enjoy its success all over again.
The playwright Kevin Elyot, who has died aged 62 after a long illness, is best remembered for his brilliantly written and imaginatively structured tragicomedy My Night With Reg (1994). It is often claimed as a "gay play", but although Elyot wrote often about gay relationships, his real subject was the longing for love and remembrance of loves lost.
review blurbs:
"The director Robert Hastie does the piece proud, capturing its constantly shifting moods with great elan and with the help of an outstanding cast."
Charles Spencer for Daily Telegraph
Charles Spencer for Daily Telegraph
"I hope that Hastie and gang are taking pride in how this production pays the author's memory a huge and (in every respect) handsome tribute."
Paul Taylor for The Independent
Paul Taylor for The Independent
"Played straight through at 110 minutes, Robert Hastie's production catches the secret fears and surface buoyancy of this group of companions and gets fine performances all round."
Michael Billington for The Guardian
Michael Billington for The Guardian
"Robert Hastie’s revival triumphs through a smartly judged mixture of exuberance and delicate understatement, highlighting the cool precision of Elyot’s writing — an assured command of structure and a gift for incisive comedy."
Henry Hitchings for The Evening Standard
Henry Hitchings for The Evening Standard
"A landmark production of a landmark play."
Patrick Marmion for The Daily Mail
Patrick Marmion for The Daily Mail
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| Jonathan Broadbent (Guy) and Lewis Reeves (Eric). Photograph Johan Persson |
***
The Playwright Kevin Elyot died, aged 62, around the time this revival was going into rehearsal. It’s sad he’s not around to enjoy its success all over again.
Kevin Elyot obituary
Television scriptwriter and playwright who made his name with the smash hit tragicomedy My Night With Reg
Kevin Elyot's attempts to 'jazz up' Agatha Christie had mixed results. But audiences loved his television adaptations
