Theatre: Latest News > December 9 - Cold response to Edinburgh hit 'Midsummer' at Tricycle Theatre
Published: 9 December, 2010
by JOSH LOEB
• OTHER critics have noted the unfortunate technical problems at Kilburn’s Tricycle Theatre on press night last Tuesday, which meant there was no heating in the auditorium during one hell of a cold snap. The PR company in charge of tickets advised all those attending to bring an extra layer.
I imagined critics huddled together, our every outward breath visible. But in the end the experience was anticlimactic: neither were things as cold as I had imagined they would be, nor was the play as good as had been rumoured (it was an Edinburgh Festival hit).
Midsummer, “a play with songs”, is an example of a new theatrical genre. It’s not a musical in the conventional sense. Rather, it is a serious-ish play with indie music interludes.
Helena (Cora Bissett) and Bob (Matthew Pidgeon) are flaky Edinburgh thirtysomethings. She is a divorce lawyer, he a petty criminal. The romantic comedy genre is a new one for Scottish playwright David Greig, who is better known for tight political work, and perhaps that explains this play’s stilted feel. Maybe its magic only works in its home town, or perhaps it’s just that these characters aren’t really that interesting. They get drunk a lot, then talk about it in a “Huh! I’m mad, me” kind of way. They go out for breakfast and remark on what good value the food is.
Bob’s criminality – a possible point of interest – is portrayed in a half-hearted way. In other words, it’s too much like everyday life, unlike in Grieg’s political dramas, which are set against a backdrop of extraordinary events that throw up moral dilemmas.
No doubt there will be those who disagree, who enjoy the realism. There are also some, though not enough, moments of high comedy.
But what I found myself wondering throughout was why this thirtysomething couple in particular deserved my attention.
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