Richard Eyre has done so much excellent work as a theatre director and as an adaptor of classics, notably Ibsen. He has directed films, television and operas. He was artistic director of the Nottingham Playhouse (1973-1978) and the National Theatre (1987-1997).
Expectations for his debut play at 79 were high. Far too high, as it turned out; and, therefore, the bigger the disappointment. The play takes far too long to begin and when it does finally begin, there are too many characters. The end result is an unfocused debate: a series of family and political confrontations between incompatibles, which irritate rather than engage.
The Snail House takes place before and after a dinner to celebrate Sir Neil Marriot’s birthday and knighthood for services as the government’s health adviser during Covid.
He has a gay smug 22-year-old Tory son (Patrick Walshe McBride) who speaks and acts in CAPITAL LETTERS. He has an awful 18-year-old activist daughter (Grace Hogg-Robinson) who hates him. She is a real pain in the derriere, and, like so many of her generation, she whines a lot but doesn’t actually do anything.
There is also an annoying performance by a catering assistant for whom the play regularly stops so she can do what amounts to an unwanted music hall act. The role should have been cut during rehearsal.
The best part of the play is a scene between Sir Neil (Vincent Franklin) and the catering manager (Amanda Bright), who, years ago, was wrongfully sentenced to prison for child abuse. Her sentence was based on his professional diagnosis as an expert paediatrician. He made his judgment on the facts he was given at the time and quite rightfully stuck to it.
The scene comes late in the second act and is so far removed from the family drama, that has been going on so boringly, that we might be in another and potentially more successful play.
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