Two males are seated on both aspect of a desk in a restaurant someplace in Hungary. No eye contact is made, and they’re evidently uncomfortable; reluctant to be in one another’s presence. They don’t have any similarities bodily, of their costume, or of their philosophical countenance. They may very well be strangers, with nothing in widespread. Except we’re advised they’re brothers. The stress is there from the beginning. Each is vital of the opposite and antagonistic, as siblings may be. The strait-laced enterprise govt can not fathom the plebeian life-style his brother indulges in. And in retaliation, the boho brother…
Rating
Excellent
A humorous and fulfilling glimpse into household drama with awkward male bonding, and a lesson in six levels of separation.
Two males are seated on both aspect of a desk in a restaurant someplace in Hungary. No eye contact is made, and they’re evidently uncomfortable; reluctant to be in one another’s presence. They don’t have any similarities bodily, of their costume, or of their philosophical countenance. They may very well be strangers, with nothing in widespread. Except we’re advised they’re brothers.
The stress is there from the beginning. Each is vital of the opposite and antagonistic, as siblings may be. The strait-laced enterprise govt can not fathom the plebeian life-style his brother indulges in. And in retaliation, the boho brother shovels mentioned plebeian meals into his mouth like he’s by no means eaten earlier than. Soon they regress into a well-recognized infantile bickering. The viewers is drawn into this charming dialogue because it ping pongs from matter to matter, hinting at however by no means deciding on the true difficulty between them. Their conversations are round, nearly a drunken diatribe; foolish, witty, and endearing. The bickering is peppered with innuendo and for a second, I used to be uncertain in the event that they have been brothers or ex-lovers! Just for a second…
The two clearly share some deep childhood trauma; a door to which they’re the only guardians. ‘The key’ is the one fragile connection the brothers cling to, whilst they insurgent towards their connection and mutual historical past. Both actors share nice chemistry, and so they give an important efficiency.
The second act takes place within the youthful brother’s flat. It’s in creative disarray and a distinction to the minimal cafe. We are handled to extra of the identical humour and round dialogue however there’s a fast inflow of the remainder of the solid and the drama builds till it hits a crescendo. At this level the story turns into much less plausible, however no much less humorous, with the implication of six levels of separation between them. Suddenly there’s silence, because the brothers are left alone on the finish to their introspection.
The writing within the first half stands out towards the jumble of dialogue within the second. There’s rather a lot to course of, although humorous and outrageous (like watching a automotive crash). The second half contrasts with the witty repartee between the brothers within the first, which was participating, intriguing and interspersed with comedian aid from the waiter. We are left questioning how did they get right here? What made them such polar opposites? Why are they estranged? The indisputable fact that the play is about in Hungary inside a standard prosperous but dysfunctional household solely spotlights the relatability throughout cultures and households world wide. Coming from an ethnic minority background myself, it was refreshing to see this.
There can be a sexual fluidity to the romantic relationships portrayed, which is superbly normalised. It is sort of an announcement made by the author contemplating the present political local weather in Hungary with its tight rein on LGBTQ rights and freedom of speech. Society throughout the globe is regressing and devolving on human rights whilst we attempt to progress, and this portrayal performs a small however vital half in highlighting this.
The writer Andras Forgach was within the viewers for the opening night time to witness this UK debut of his play. The translation was accomplished in collaboration with Mateusz Mirek, Susan Brooke and Michal Nowak, who additionally kind a part of the solid. The transaltion maintained the characters and accents of an prosperous Eastern European household, clearly a deliberate choice to maneuver away from the stereotypes and caricatures. And it reveals that the crew additionally labored arduous to translate the nuances of language, tradition, and humour into this piece.
Choreographed nicely with good timing and snappy supply it stored the viewers engaged. I used to be in stitches and got here away pondering I’d wish to see extra from this crew.
Written by: Andras Forgach
Translated by: Andras Forgach, Mateusz Mirek, Susan Brooke and Michal Nowak.
Directed by: Mateusz Mirek
Produced by: Other Space Productions
The Key performs at White Bear Theatre till 5 November. Further data and bookings will be discovered right here.