Review by Daz Gale
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
With shows including One Man, Two Gu’nors, Jack Absolute Flies Again and Made In Dagenham, there is no shortage of credits in acclaimed playwright Richard Bean’s illustrious career. For his latest offering, Reykjavik, he revisits the setting from one of his previous plays, Under The Whaleback, Returning to Hampstead Theatre who have staged multiple shows of his in the past, including last year’s To Have And To Hold, would this world premiere hit the heights of some of his previous work or would it leave me feeling a bit cold?
Set in February 1975, Reykjavik is set in the brutal world of trawler fishing, focusing on Hull’s Distant Water trawling fleet. Following the sinking of a ship, costing the lives of fifteen of its crew, trawler-owner Donald Claxton attempts to deal with the consequences of this immeasurable loss. The first act is centred in his office in Hull as people come and go, mainly voicing their anger at him. The second act changes the location completely, as Claxton travels to Reykjavik to meet the survivors of the accident and bring them back home. However, he is met by extremely differing responses from these men and runs the risk of not returning home in one piece.
To an extent, Reykjavik feels like two distinctly different plays, split across two acts. On another level, act one could be seen as an extended prologue to the main event of act two – the longer and stronger of the acts. The only common thread across two acts is the character of Donald Claxton (John Hollingworth), the only character to appear in both. Though tonally these two acts can be at odds with each other, they come together beautifully to create a well-rounded story full of world-building and character exposition. A fairly slow-burn of a play, I enjoyed the intensity of the first act but this enjoyment level raised substantially when Claxton arrived in Iceland in the second act.
When I visited Hampstead Theatre last year to watch Richard Bean’s last play To Have And To Hold, I wasn’t completely won over by the writing, to put it mildly. That is not an issue this time as Bean creates a rich and textured world, helped by the fact this is the second play of his in this setting, giving a more assured approach to his writing. Moments of darkness as the life-changing and life-ending repercussions of the situation are weighed up are joined by moments of comedy in a show that shifts its tone continually but never in a way that feels unnatural or jarring. Unusually, act one is the darker of the two with the more sombre setting of Claxton’s office only paving way for a few humorous moments – the main focus of this act is to set the scene the stakes, ready for act two.
It is when Claxton touches down in Iceland that Reykjavik truly finds its feet. With all other characters introduced in the first act discarded, we meet a far stronger group of characters who spend predominantly all of act two on stage together, allowing the audience to get to know them individually and collectively with a banter and dynamic that proves captivating to watch. This is where Richard Bean’s writing really comes alive. Far funnier than the first act, there are some absolutely hilarious moments – none more so than an extended sequence regarding “pissing on your chips” with the continued misunderstanding providing increasingly funny. When the laughter stops later in the play, the situation suddenly becomes all the more uncomfortable in a series of events so artfully executed, you could hear a pin drop in the theatre.
Perhaps, the greatest element of act two is when it turns into a series of ghost stories, each told in turn by one of the characters. Bringing a new element to the play that had previously been rooted in realism, it arrives just in time for spooky season with stories so brilliantly told, you find yourself hanging on every word. To some extent, you may call the play disjointed but to me, the variety of styles worked in its favour, creating a show that was always interesting and exciting to watch.
Emily Burns’ direction faultlessly brings Richard Bean’s writing to life, finding the right balance between heightening the comedic moments and elevating the intensity. The comic tussles and more serious confrontations are all handled with meticulous care, at times playful but always precise, with MC_Combat’s fight direction used to great effect. Anna Reid’s set design in fantastic in its versatility with the attention to detail in Claxton’s office completely one-upped by the sensational transformation into the hotel in Reykjavik in act two in a brilliantly realised and incredibly detailed feat of set design. The use of music provides some haunting and beautiful moments throughout, with composer Grant Olding and sound designer Christopher Shutt bringing more of an atmospheric setting to Reykjavik.
John Hollingworth leads the cast as Donald Claxton in an intriguing and layered performance. Initially understated with a seemingly cold and heartless, essences of his humanity are teased initially and slowly ebb away to reveal the person at the heart. This is seen mostly through his gradual thawing in act two, culminating in a powerful scene where Claxton recounts the events of his “widows walk”. All of this provides Hollingworth with plenty to play with, and showcases his immense talents as an actor, always dominating proceedings even when he is not the main focus.
The majority of the cast dual role for both parts of the play, showcasing their strengths as actors as we witness two contrasting characters each time. Matthew Durkan gets two extremely different roles, first as the sweet Reverend Polkinghorne before a wild transformation into Jack Jopling in a performance that becomes sinister and uncomfortable but always captivating. While his act one appearance as Rick Toov is relatively brief, Adam Hugill makes up for this with a scene-stealing turn as Snacker – younger than the others and less burned by life, his optimism and positive nature adds a refreshing dynamic when things get too heavy in a warm and charismatic performance. The standout performer for me came from Sophie Cox in her scene-stealing turn throughout act two as Einhildur. With her no-nonsense approach and cutting responses, hilarity is never far away in a fantastic character performance.
A play about fishermen may not sound like the most riveting of watches, but there is deception in Richard Bean’s writing which speaks of subjects stretching beyond one specific industry. With themes of capitalism and the responsibility the few have for the repercussions of the many, there is much to ponder in Reykjavik, with Bean’s rich writing on offer here a wonder to behold. A pleasant surprise of a show and one that will make you laugh as often as it makes you grit your teeth, Reykjavik proves to be a thrilling catch.
Reykjavik plays at Hampstead Theatre until 23rd November. Tickets from http://hampsteadtheatre.com/
Photos by Mark Douet
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