The Vertical Hour: Guest Review by Sean Allan
November 14th, 2009
THE VERTICAL HOUR by David Hare
Directed by Tamara McCarthy
The Jericho Arts Centre
A United Players Production
November 13th to December 6th
Vancouver, BC: VERTICAL HOUR LACKS LOINS
I applaud United Players for bringing this intellectually engaging play to the Jericho Arts Centre. The work of David Hare is always good for lively discussion on the way home from the theatre. But this production is like having three really nice, interesting people over for dinner; and you discuss politics, doctors, psychiatry, war, relationships, sex, marriage; and they stay way too late. There is a lot of talk about what is really going on during the evening with very little evidence of anything but talk.
David Hare has written three very interesting lead roles and Director, Tamara McCarthy has failed to bring them to life. There is no ferocity, no sexual tension, no passion, irony or sub-text...just people talking and talking and talking.
This is a play that deals with large topics such as the War in Iraq, and the war of opinions about it. The main protagonists are Nadia Blye, a former war correspondent and now Yale professor of politics, and her lover's father, Oliver Lucas, a doctor who has retreated to isolation in Wales. Nadia's boyfriend, Philip, is the third leg of this dramatic stool who claims that his father is attempting to seduce her, but in this production that didn't seem evident. Nadia as played by Claire Lindsay is significantly endowed with intellect and despite all the talk about her love life, lacking in passion. She would seem more suited to human interest reporting than covering war zones; and how she would manage to keep a class at Yale interested for an entire period is a mystery.
Graham Bullen manages to play Oliver Lucas as a disinterested third party. If he was trying to seduce Nadia, the guy was so subtle we had to rely on his son to tell us. He seemed more like a charming interrogator than a potential Don Juan. The son, Philip Lucas, is a physical therapist who Nadia met at her gym, and as played by Daniel Martin, he is more of a nice-guy wimp than a self-confident hunk.
The evening starts with some witty dialogue and a promise of provocative word play, but soon dragged. So much so, that you come to appreciate what a really attractive set Todd Parker had designed and built.
For Tickets call 604-224-8007 ext.2, or go online to: wwwunitedplayers.com
Comments
S.E. Asia Dance Cruise.
Really enjoyed reading the first part of your Travelogue and your musings about Beijing - Great Wall, Great Smog and Great Congestion. Did you savour any Peking Duck ? Have great fun, Gill. I can't wait to hear about the second leg of your cruise.
Susan......in wet and chilly Vancouver.
The Vertical Hour
It's too bad you didn't enjoy this show as much as most everyone else has. Furthermore, get your facts straight. The son is Philip Lucas (get it? the same last name as his father, Oliver LUCAS), played by Daniel Martin. Dennis is the student in the first scene. Were you even there? Also, nice spelling errors: Ohilip and Irag, don't you proofread your work?? It's too bad you couldn't see how lovely a job the actors did playing their subtext; perhaps you were spending too much time figuring out who was who in the program.
Follow up comment
Thank you for pointing out the two typos which were missed when the review was posted. They have been corrected. I do try to proof read all reviews before they are posted but at midnight on small screen on a rocking boat in the South China seas it is easy to mis-read a g as a q. As to this particular reviewer's opinion on the content, everyone has their own perspective - some may love a work and others not get it . That's the joy and pain of creative work.
I encourage you to provide your own insights in a longer comment, or get others who have enjoyed the show to provide their input. It would be great to get dialogues going about the reviews
Here are other comments I
Here are other comments I have received, as well as two other reviews:
http://www2.canada.com/vancouvercourier/news/artsandentertainment/story....
(by Jane Penistan at Review Vancouver)
http://www.reviewvancouver.org/th_vertical09.htm
(from Jo Ledingham in The Vancouver Courier)
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Just like my experience with seeing CORAM BOY at the National and then seeing United Players' superior production, I have the same feeling about seeing UP's THE VERTICAL HOUR and the Royal Court's production. By far, I enjoyed UP's production. The acting was superior and following the plot line was clearer.
Huge congratulations to the actors and most certainly Tamara McCarthy, the director. THE VERTICAL HOUR deserves packed houses.
Congrats,
John
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To say that Vertical Hour was as good as anything I have ever seen at United Players, and Democracy and Invention of Love, to name 2, set very high standards. And so much more worth doing than White Christmas, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, etc!
I came out thinking - very good play, very good production. I have now read various British and American reviews, at least half largely negative. Which makes me think this production was outstanding, either to conceal flaws, or, more likely, bring out everything in the text.
For example, reviewers found the part of Philip underwritten, and it didn't look that way at Jericho.
Hope it receives the success it deserves - Malcolm
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Just back from seeing the play and could not resist sending you a congratulatory note! It is a superb play and an equally superb production. A very satisfying evening at the theatre. I saw The Skylight some years ago and fell in love with David Hare's work! I look forward to the second Hare offering this season. I will guess that you may use the David Hare translation of Ivanov!
What a wonderful evening!
Cheers,
Jim
Correction
The son was incorrectly named in the posted review and this error has now been corrected.
I wish my reviews would generate as many comments
Thank you all for your follow up comments. Why is it that folks don't write in a comment when the reviews are favourable? Hopefully I now can get some exchange of ideas and feedback to the many reviews that I personally write.
So folks now that you have visited ReviewFromTheHouse.com please check out the travel and dining sections and feel free to provide your feedback on those reviews too.