My Night With Reg
Top image: Edward M Corrie (John), Paul Keating (Guy) & James Bradwell (Eric). Photo: Mark Senior
My first trip to the new-ish Turbine Theatre – under the South London railway arches and in the shadow of the old Battersea Power Station – was indeed a happy one tonight. It was my second viewing of Kevin Elyot’s comedy, My Night With Reg (the first was performed by West Norwood’s South London Theatre in 2005 – wow, sixteen years ago!) and all credit for Turbine Theatre’s artistic director, Paul Taylor-Mills, for choosing this masterpiece for Matt Ryan to smoothly direct.
PTM is a big supporter of the LGBTQ+ sector and this production fits the bill perfectly, I mean you can’t get much more gay than a cast of six characters – all of whom are gay! The subject matter is so naturalistically written though one (if not gay) acclimatises to the status quo very quickly indeed.
The plot surrounds Reg, whom we never meet and every scene takes place in Guy’s flat – a chic 80s abode. The speedy first act is only thirty-five minutes long compared to and hour and ten minutes after the break. The play opens with Guy (Paul Keating) about to host a house-warming party. We meet his life-long secret love, John (Edward M Corrie) of whom Guy is secretly besotted and Reg’s long-term partner, Daniel (Gerard McCarthy)… Reg is also coming but obviously a little too late to make an appearance. Eric (James Bradwell) is just finishing up decorating Guy’s new home as the party kicks off – much to Daniel’s lusty approval. However, it appears that at this early point we Eric hasn’t made his mind up which way he wants to swing!
The comedy is set in the 1980s as AIDS was rearing its ugly yet mysterious head and, post-interval, Reg has succumbed to the disease and Guy is hosting a kind of wake/get-together. It is here that we meet the final two characters: arguing couple, Bernie (Alan Turkington) and Bennie (stand-up comedian, Stephen K. Amos). However, the play later morphs into a third scene, some time later, when Guy has also passed away from AIDS (presumably) and he has left his entire flat to John – who is now sleeping with young Eric.
The short story is that Reg, when he was alive, had trouble in the monogamy department. In fact he was downright promiscuous… and had slept with… John, Bernie AND Bennie (as well as his partner, Daniel, of course). In the play Guy is the somewhat unwilling target for sharing this news and his repeatedly shocked and stunned face every single time he is told of another exploit is a joy to behold.
I can’t tell you if the entire cast is also gay but, if not, they do a damn good job of acting it. I know from his stand-up routine that Stephen K. Amos IS gay and I think Gerard McCarthy’s Daniel probably shares top honours with Paul Keating for the most naturalistic acting of the six… and McCarthy winning the campest performace of the night – hands down!
I do like they way that Matt Ryan’a direction has let the writing find its own natural comedic level rather than play for as many laughs as possible. This is an award-winning and brilliant play, so it’s lovely to see it given the respect that it deserves by director and cast alike.
The only gripe I must mention is that nobody’s hairstyle looked very 1980s and in the latter nude scene, which is a brave move for any actor to play, both John and Eric are both completely shaven – down below – which is also very modern and not at all of the era. That’s the only reason a fifth star is absent, which is a shame really as Lee Newby’s design and Will Burton’s casting are spot on!
Apart from that, bravo, and it was lovely to be back in the theatre without restrictions in place.
- : admin
- : 28/07/2021
