Review by Daz Gale
⭐️⭐️⭐️
The West End plays host to a world premiere this week as Mike Bartlett’s new play Unicorn fills the Garrick Theatre with its horn (make of that what you will). Following in the footsteps of Bartlett’s recent West End success COCK, would that prove a hard act to follow or would Unicorn prove similarly penetrative?
Unicorn tells the story of married couple Polly and Nick. Feeling like something is missing from their marriage and longing to reignite the fire to stop them being bored of each other, the answer they have been looking for comes in the form of Kate. As they contemplate becoming a throuple, cold-feet, conflicting feelings and unexpected developments all rear their ugly head, potentially standing in their way.
It is certainly an interesting premise and one that has rarely been explored. Almost taboo in its subject though proving increasingly common, the exploration of this style of relationship, markedly different from the more conventional ones we see on stage has plenty of potential and opportunity to bring something new and refreshing to the mix. So it is a real shame that these ideas feel somewhat half-baked, showing sparks but never quite lighting the fire needed to bring this story to life.
Bartlett’s writing still impresses throughout, with many a laugh-out-loud moment in the first act, though these are less forthcoming in the second. The subject itself gives rise to a captivating story but the problem is it feels all too under-developed, with no real reason to buy into these characters or their situation. We never learn enough about any of the three characters with the rare moments of exposition into their backgrounds and drive all too fleeting, and making it hard to invest into. There’s nothing bad about Unicorn per se, it all just feels a bit dull and uneventful. In some respect, I’d rather see a bad play than feel bored by one, and this show struggled to maintain my interest consistently. Anyone easily offended should be warned the conversation does get fairly graphic at times with no-holds-barred when it comes to frank conversations on sex and no shortage of four-letter words.
The action concentrates on the three characters in a variety of settings with a bare-bones staging seeing nothing more than a variety of objects for them to sit on, changing in each scene. In some respects, it does feel a bit too small for this stage, keeping all the action to a fixed spot in the middle – though it does prove impactful, I wonder if it might have benefited in a venue with a slighter smaller stage as the dead space did was all too noticeable, for better and worse. Miriam Buether’s set design does ensure all your attention is focused on the three characters with no distraction, though Natasha Chivers’ lighting does allow for a beautiful aesthetic.
James MacDonald’s direction keeps the intimacy of the situation and makes magic out of mere breadcrumbs, elevating writing that doesn’t always land. Perhaps it can be said the scene transitions are too frequent and slow to execute, losing momentum. As we mix up the dynamic with the majority of the scene focusing n a different pairing out of the three of them, be it Nick and Polly, Polly and Kate or Kate and Polly, it is the scenes with the three of them together where everything comes together in the best possible way, leaving me longing to see more.
What can’t be faulted, however, are the sensational cast with a star cast all demonstrating their wonderful acting abilities. Nicola Walker is a dominating force as Polly, refreshingly keeping hold of the narrative even when her husband appears later on, and moving the plot forward. Though Polly is the most underwritten of the three characters, Walker does the best she can, bringing comedy, humanity and soul to the role. Stephen Mangan plays her husband Nick in a character that is more fleshed out than the others though feels the least interesting of them all. Mangan plays the role in a dry fashion – more understated than I have seen him do before, but always captivating with his presence.
The cast of three is completed by Erin Doherty in perhaps the standout performance as Kate. Each appearance of hers lights up the stage and ups the ante drastically, with dialogue that can prove cutting and no-nonsense at times and comedic and others. One key moment sees Kate relive trauma from her past in an example of how exceptional Bartlett’s writing can be at its best and further demonstrates why Unicorn proves so inconsistent and disappointing at times. Doherty is at her best in this scene in an urgent performance I wouldn’t dare take my eyes off of.
In Unicorn, the three characters bounce around ideas but never quite agree on how to proceed, and the same can be said about this as a play. Though enjoyable enough and with plenty of good qualities about it, it never quite manages to elevate itself to the expected level, feeling unfinished in certain ways. Opting to spend far too much time on the foreplay, it struggles with the main event and heads to a climax that is all too anticlimactic. Not the best show you will see in the West End at the moment but also not the worst by a long shot.
Unicorn plays at the Garrick Theatre until 26th April. Tickets from www.thegarricktheatre.co.uk
Photos by Marc Brenner