The Pride received rave reviews during its West End run, the play is now on tour and is currently on at the Theatre Royal Brighton so last night we went to see what all the fuss was about!
Thankfully we were not disappointed :) Just to give a quick background - the play features a love triangle between Philip, Oliver and Sylvia in the 1950s and also in the present day reflecting the changing attitudes towards homosexuality.
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| L-R Al Weaver & Mathew Horne - The Pride - Trafalgar Studios - Photo Marc Brenner |
Before going in my Mum and I were a little worried that the time split would confuse us (it doesn't take much!) but the simple set design, costumes, music and clipped tones made it very easy to follow. While this must have made things very tricky for the actors, they made it seem effortless.
Given the subject matter this could have been very heavy-handed and maudlin but this was not the case, there were plenty of funny moments which made the heartfelt scenes all the more touching. In historical terms 50 years is nothing and yet the time split effectively emphasised just how far we have come, and while things are by no means perfect we are definitely heading in the right direction. I was also pleased to see that the love triangle didn't focus purely on the men's struggle and that Sylvia's pain & anguish were also given a voice.
And finally, it is so satisfying to see a new play that isn't a rehash of an old story. While I did adore the recent production of Jeeves & Wooster (there always has to be an exception!) I do get a bit disappointed when I read that there is another new play based on a book or a film - there are even plans to write a musical based on Groundhog Day?! - and you do start to wonder if everyone has run out of original ideas. So it was a relief to see that at least one person is capable of writing something new and moving and hopefully more will follow...
The Pride is in Brighton until Saturday so make sure you catch it while you can.
Charlotte
