Have for a long time loved viewing the live cinema streamings of the National Theatre Live series. So many gems in the series and very few misses, and what strikes me about watching these productions are how they are made available so accessibly while making one feel like they are there. Am always up for seeing something different to Shakespeare and other theatre standards, and 'This House' couldn't be more different and was not sure as to whether a play revolving around politics would interest me.
The good news that 'This House' did interest me. Make that glued me to the edge of the seat. Re-watching this production of 'This House' via live streaming a while back, it reminded me of how intelligent, insightful and hugely entertaining the play is and how much of a big pleasant surprise it was seeing the cinema screening of the production way back 7 years ago. As well as how the production has all those qualities too and has all the heart of the play. Even those not into politics or finds that it goes over their head will be surprised by how illuminating, accessible and so much fun the production is.
Production values-wise, 'This House' is simple and intimate yet attractive and distinguished. The camera work also has this intimacy, perfect for this confined a space and in a way that makes the viewer feel like they are actually there observing the action up close while still opening it up enough.
It is a superbly written play, it is deliciously acerbic (theatre today rarely has insults with this amount of comedy gold and am meaning this in a good way) and very witty, while also very intelligent. None of that is lost in the production, the comedy especially blisters and a subject that is usually very complicated and rather unpleasant to see and hear about instead is acutely thought-provoking and has heart too. Had no trouble understanding what was going on in the dialogue and appreciate that it tried not to be biased and see it from all points of view in a far from simplistic and at times appropriately uncomfortable way.
Not easy to do with a subject that sees so much conflict and competition daily. The play and production are even more relevant today than they were when first performed, which adds to some of the poignancy. Every scene is superbly staged, the interest and entertainment value not once wavering.
All the performances are perfectly pitched, have never seen a better performance from Phil Daniels, who is deliciously no-nonsense and acerbic and similarly down to earth Reece Dinsdale similarly hasn't been this good in a while. Julian Wadham performs Atkins with a lot of wit, Vincent Franklin brings great comic timing and poignancy to his role (not easy to pull off in a play of this nature) and Lauren O'Neill more than holds her own.
Overall, brilliant. 10/10
