WE are sorely in need of laughter in these troubled W times and I have no hesitation in saying that The Unfriend by Steven Moffat at Chichester's Minerva Theatre is the funniest new play by a British dramatist since Alan Ayckbourn was at his peak. Moffat comes to the theatre from a successful television career in which he wrote numerous episodes of Doctor Who and Sherlock. Even if this is his debut play, he shows a genuine gift for exploring the comic possibilities of embarrassment.
The play's premise is simple. Peter and Debbie, an English suburban couple, meet Elsa, an unquenchable American gusher, on a cruise. Elsa insists that, if ever they are in Denver, they look her up: she also persuades Peter and Debbie to give her their email address. A brief encounter turns into a living nightmare when the formidable Elsa turns up at their Chiswick home. They check out their much-widowed guest on the internet, only to discover that she is rumoured to be a practised poisoner.
To say more would be to spoil the fun, but what Mr. Moffat exploits is the difficulty of getting rid of an unwanted house guest. You could say that the play has echoes of an American work such as Kaufman and Hart's The Man Who Came To Dinner and even of a Swiss piece, Max Frisch's The Fire Raisers, in which a pair of arsonists insinuate themselves into a family home. I was struck, however, by the deep Englishness of Mr. Moffat's play, in that it shows our endless capacity for evasion. Nowhere is that more evident than in the superb performance of Reece Shearsmith as the Pooterish Peter.
Denne historien er fra June 15, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra June 15, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery