KING LEAR
Network Theatre
246A Lower Road
Waterloo, SE1 8SF
by William Shakespeare
Director: Bernie C Byrnes
Underneath the arches at Waterloo station, this place is hard to find so don’t expect to get off a train at 7:25 and still get to your seat on time for the show. Give yourself an extra 20 minutes – which won’t be wasted if you do get lucky and find the way first time – you can always enjoy an extra drink in the bar.
Waterloo Road, just by the McDonalds and opposite the Sainsbury’s Local, as you walk towards the Old Vic there is a single sign on the wall, a brown plate and arrow reading ‘Network Theatre’. This place is so elusive it’s surreal and reminds me of the electric sign that Harry Haller, Steppenwolf, finds: “MAGIC THEATRE. ENTRANCE NOT FOR EVERYBODY. FOR MADMEN ONLY!” above a locked door. But persevere, this is a lovely, real theatre and is worth seeking out. Once you have found the sign and passed the other obstacles and made it there you will discover a thriving healthy, creative community that is warm and welcoming.
I was there to see a very different interpretation of King Lear, brutally cut down from the original text to deliver a more direct punch. There were echoes of the Sam Mendes version (running simultaneously at the National Theatre) in that the context of play was more modern political than old world kingdoms. The power play struggles were all there, the loyalties and disloyalties, the drama and the trauma. Direct, dramatic and always engaging, this was an exceptionally good night and great value for money.
Enjoying a glass of wine at the interval with the play’s director Bernie Byrnes and discussing the themes and her unique approach was an added bonus.
BUNKER GIRLS
Waterloo East Theatre
Brad Street
Waterloo, SE1 8TN
by Michael Punter
Director: Christine Kimberley
Close to Waterloo East station, with a couple of very nice pubs nearby, this tiny theatre set in the railway archways is intimate, well organised and exceptional value for money. The premier productions repeatedly raise a debate, challenge and experiment, giving a stage to new writers and a really fresh experience to the audience.
Before the play began I met with the writer Michael Punter who discussed his motivations for writing and processes of getting it to the stage. The story tells of two young women during the second world war applying for, and getting, the prized job of working with the Fuhrer. Dazzled by power, brainwashed by society, their loyalties to the Third Reich and to each other, they are tested as their world begins to crumble and become increasingly claustrophobic in the Bunker.
Exceptionally well-drawn characters brought to life by Christine Kimberley’s direction and
great performances from Victoria Johnston and Suzanne Kendall mix intelligence, dark humour and tragedy. Victoria plays Gretel, a beautiful young and ambitious girl, who begins to see that the end is coming and the window of opportunity to escape is closing before the Russian armies close in.
As the pressure mounts and cracks begin to appear, the two girls inspire our sympathy even though we know they are cogs in a murderous regime, which is a testament to both the writing and the very impressive performances.
TWO INTO ONE
Menier Chocolate Factory Theatre
53 Southwark Street
Waterloo, SE1 1RU
by Ray Cooney
Director: Ray Cooney
Rapidly becoming a theatre of note, this place on Southwark Street was established only 10 years ago and has already taken shows to Broadway, won top theatrical awards and is getting the pulling power of a much bigger playhouse. It won’t be long before this theatre is an integral part of London’s mainstream theatreland. For now however, it is still small enough to take risks and independent enough to charm.
Ray Cooney’s ‘Two Into One’, which originally ran in the West End in the early 1980s with Donald Sinden and Michael Williams in the lead roles, is a farce about a Tory Minister and a potential sex scandal. It is not surprising that the producers agreed it would still have relevance today. The occasional gag about Thatcher did seem slightly out of context but overall the double dealing, lies and vices of all the characters were amusingly timeless 30 years on.
Nick Wilton, as the hapless Personal Private Secretary to the unethical Tory MP, was stunning. His energy and timing bounced the farce along perfectly. In the second act the farce reached calamitous proportions with the rapid fire bed-hopping and door-slamming escalating the energy, confusion and hilarity.
Even Ray Cooney, now in his eighties, playing an absurd comic waiter looking to make a few extra quid from every misfortune, really held his own. Park yourself up on Southwark Street after 6pm and miss both the congestion and parking charges and step up to the Menier Chocolate Factory for their Meal Deal (2 courses) plus a show for around the £35 mark.
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