Life X 3
by Yasmina Reza
translated by Christopher Hampton
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Life X 3 by Yasmina Reza
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PREVIEW Promising a very amusing night out, Reigate Amateur Dramatic Society (RATS) will perform the hilarious Life X 3 by Yasmina Reza at The Harlequin Theatre, Redhill, from Thursday June 15 to Saturday June 17. From the celebrated playwright of ART, this clever, light comedy presents the same basic reality in three different ways. Henri and Sonia are putting their son to bed when an unexpected knock at the door throws them into disarray. Hubert and Ines have arrived for dinner, a day earlier than expected... As the evening degenerates, the playwright blends cruel observations with high comedy in a hilarious and poignant examination of our most personal intimacies and private longings. The performance will begin at 8:30pm and run 90 for minutes without an interval, so why not make it a full evening with dinner and theatre? To help celebrate RATS' 30th anniversary, Frankie & Benny's and Mama Mia's in Redhill are offering a generous discount for audience members on the nights of the show. Frankie & Benny's has designed a special set menu with a choice of two courses for just £9.95, while Mama Mia's is offering 20% discount with a special coupon that will be available when you pick up your tickets from the Harlequin box office. Tickets for the show cost £8.50 (£7.50 for concessions) - to book, call the box office on 01737 765547. |
.REVIEW
Reviewed by Tony Flook Henri and Sonia have invited Hubert - Henri's senior in his work in astrophysical science - and Ines his wife, for supper. They arrive a day earlier than expected, so there's next to nothing to eat, plenty to drink and more than enough embarrassment all round. But, which of the three scenarios offered by writer Yasmina Reza shows how the evening really works out? In order for Life x 3 to make its full impact, each act needs to be distinct from the others, almost as if different people were involved, all bringing their separate characteristics and outlooks to the same basic situation. Unfortunately, RATS' production, directed by Jo Ellen Anderson rarely achieved this. The overall impression was that we saw the same personalities speaking different words in each of the acts. Of all the performers, Ben Hilder brought most light and shade to his role, Henri. He showed credible hypersensitivity in the first scene, when he was by cynically, systematically undermined by Hubert and his reaction to his unseen, irritatingly demanding son would have struck chords with any parent. Clare Caffrey, Sonia, barely changed tempo throughout and her performance lacked conversational spontaneity. She missed an opportunity to break the mould in the second act by being tepid in her response to Hubert's shameless invitation to flirt. We feel sorry for Ines (Trish Richings). Her arrogant husband derides her throughout and it was good to see her standing up for herself and showing at least some self-respect at the end. She and Hubert could have made more of the chance to let their hair down when they are supposed to have got well tanked up on the first act, one the the play's most animated episodes. Rod Ellis's supercilious expression and insidious, patronising tone rarely changed whatever Hubert was doing or saying. Certainly, he's the most constant and, throughout, the least likeable member of the quartet but there was scope for him to project this in more than one way. Each act in Life x 3 needs to have its own, contrasting rhythm. Although this production sparkled occasionally, the pace was, generally, too even and we did not always get a clear view of what the playwright set out to express.
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MEMBER REVIEW Reviewed by Oli Cownden I was very much looking forward to seeing the RATS
production of Yasmina Reza’s LIFE x 3. I had previously seen her play ART,
thoroughly enjoyed it, and had great hopes that this play would also deliver
the goods. Tim Sinclair’s impressive and stylised set was
constructed with the help of Randy Anderson and James Croft. To my mind it
was excellent and worked well in the studio space, which only enticed me
further into what lay ahead. LIFE x 3 for me showcased some excellent acting talent
from RATS under the capable RATS directorial debut of Jo Ellen Anderson.
As for the Play itself, well, it was not in the same
league as ART and made me realise that even accomplished playwrights like
Yasmina Reza have off days. The fault lies not in the slightest with the
actors, but with the play itself, one that I found pretentious and at times
incomprehensible. Similar to ‘Noises Off’, Reza provided us with
three successive interpretations of the same events as Henry and Sonia are
surprised by the arrival for dinner of Henry's boss Hubert and his wife Inés. I really enjoyed Ben Hilder's performance as Henri, he
very much made the part / parts his own and had presence on the stage. It
was really satisfying to see an actor playing the wide gamut of emotions and
layers that his parts demanded, I genuinely felt sorry for his characters
plight in the first act. Clare Caffrey as Sonia was convincing in her differing
roles and gave a good performance as the wife of Henri. At times more voice
projection was called for but this did not detract too much from a fine
performance. I have seen Trish Richings on stage before and the part
of Inés gave her the opportunity of exploring a different type of
character, she did not disappoint. The part was finely drawn and the subtle
nuances that she presented resulted in a multi-layered performance that was
both convincing and enjoyable to watch. Rod Ellis played Hubert, Henri’s pompous and over
bearing boss. I enjoyed Rod’s performance and was impressed with his
delivery of complex dialogue and with the arrogant, self-important and
ostentatious character he created, utterly believable. Rod has real stage
presence. The Director Jo Ellen should feel satisfied and pleased with the performance she drew from her actors, especially bringing such complex, lengthy and involved dialogues to the stage. Other than a couple of lighting problems, my only real criticism was that at times the play was a little static, however, I enjoyed the acting and although I did not like the play, I felt that RATS delivered a fine performance from an experienced and credible cast.
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