Review: Jane Horrocks Hosts a Terrifying Birthday Party

Harold Pinter’s first full-length play didn’t exactly receive a warm welcome in 1958. Early audiences and critics were perplexed by its unsolved puzzles. The play, set in a seemingly mundane seaside boarding house, presented characters with murky pasts and uncertain motives. The protagonist, Stanley, lodges with Meg and Petey, but his background as a concert pianist raises doubts. The mysterious arrival of Goldberg and McCann, a duo with sinister vibes, only adds to the confusion. Goldberg’s shifting first names and McCann’s potential history as an IRA terrorist and defrocked priest deepened the intrigue.

The Ustinov Studio, with its intimate atmosphere, sparked engaging discussions among audience members during the interval. Many speculated whether some characters were mere figments of memory or past acquaintances from mental institutions, secret societies, or cults. This multitude of interpretations underscores the genius of Pinter’s ambiguous narrative style, making the play relevant even as his birth centenary nears. One viewer aptly compared it to the macabre surrealism of “Inside No 9,” illustrating Pinter’s enduring modernity.

Richard Jones’s direction highlighted the play’s disturbing elements. A sequence involving party games during a power cut evoked The Shining’s horror. Ultz’s set and costume designs mirrored 1950s Britain, predominantly showcasing shades of brown. However, when Meg and Lulu don flashy evening dresses for the celebration, they stand out vividly, like tulips against soil, aligning with a line from the play.

Jane Horrocks as Meg and Carla Harrison-Hodge as Lulu played their seemingly stereotypical roles of unexpectedly libidinous women with depth, hinting at past traumas. Sam Swainsbury portrayed Stanley with palpable instability, transitioning from vocal outbursts to eerie silences, and subtle gestures suggested possible previous electroconvulsive therapy. John Marquez and Caolan Byrne brought complexity to their roles as Goldberg and McCann, balancing terror with moments of vulnerability. Nicolas Tennant, in the role of Petey, captured the nuanced riddle of his character’s awareness and delivered the impactful anti-authoritarian line, “Don’t let them tell you what to do!”

There are also foreshadowing elements in the play referencing a “caretaker,” hinting at Pinter’s later masterpiece from 1960. However, even in the face of adversity from its initial reception, “The Birthday Party” remains unrivaled in its brilliance.

Source: The Guardian