KEY POINTS:
In a Guardian article, critic Michael Billington describes an abrupt change in British attitudes that followed in the wake of Harold Pinter being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He suggests that the public and critics are finally catching up with their most misunderstood playwright.
In New Zealand, Pinter productions have largely been confined to the university circuit or small studio theatres and we haven't had the opportunity for the grand misunderstandings and rejections that have marked his long career in Britain.
But if Pinter is to connect with the mainstream audience here you couldn't wish for a better vehicle than this scintillating production of the play that is often described as his masterpiece.
It would be misleading to call any of his works accessible, but in The Homecoming Pinter's bleak, enigmatic vision is leavened with a robust, earthy humour that is consistently entertaining.
Added to that is the sheer fascination of watching a family whose behaviour is so appallingly rude, degrading and abusive that the word dysfunctional does not even begin to describe it.
As to what the play is about, there will be as many answers as there are members of the audience. The gritty surface realism is constantly disrupted by wildly implausible speeches and actions that seem to belong to the world of dreams.
The collision between the normal and the bizarre makes all rational assessments suspect, and the work often seems to be directly addressing the subconscious.
This kind of theatre creates unique challenges for the actors and the audience and everything depends on the specific moment when something passes between the stage and the auditorium.
Potent Pause Productions has assembled an enormously talented cast who revel in the opportunity of taking on roles that defy any singular interpretation.
Michael Lawrence is perfectly at home in this world where text and sub-text become indistinguishable. He delivers a wonderfully subtle performance playing the part of an intelligent, articulate gangster whose genial manner and formal politeness masks a thoroughly malicious nature.
Eddie Campbell achieves a similar effect with his down-to-earth portrayal of the malignant patriarch Max. Although his character is a brutal, self-obsessed bully, Campbell's hilarious use of invective is always appealing, and he generates considerable sympathy when he confronts the desolation and loneliness of old age.
Lisa Chappell makes a triumphant return to the stage playing the part of Ruth - the only woman in a world of unhinged male egos. Chappell's stillness and restraint creates an aura of calmness that exudes authority, even when she is involved in the most degrading of situations.
This production will certainly stand out as one of the highlights of AK07 - go to see it.
Review
* What: The Homecoming, AK07
* Where: Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, to April 1
* Reviewer: Paul Simei-Barton
