This is a play about sex, sex, drugs, sex and people being bad in such a good way. Patrick Marber is definitely one of Britain’s best active playwrights, his scripts are hilarious, serious, witty, tender and satirical. In his latest script, Don Juan in Soho, he turns his attention to the individualistic nature of our society. He exposes the fundamental flaws in a world that encourages instant gratification, instant notoriety and a disregard for the consequences. Without ever lecturing the audience, Marber forces us to question our involvement and complicity in this world.
Luke Rogers’ direction is precise and understated. He has set the show on a raised playing space in the middle of the New Theatre stage, which highlights the performative aspect of Marber’s social message. Behind the raised platform are two sliding frames which are used as borders and projection surfaces. My only criticism is that scene changes take place in almost complete darkness, which means that the energy and flow of the piece drops between some scenes. Fortunately the performances are so energetic and the direction so clear that it takes very little time for the show to recover its pace.
The two lead actors, Blair Cutting as DJ and Matt Hyde as his accomplice Stan, are fabulous. Cutting has a somewhat bizarre, flouncing physicality which at first grated with me. When he first entered, I was apprehensive that his performance was going to be painfully overstated but he inhabited the delightfully wicked DJ wonderfully. He found the boyishness, the evil and the glee that make DJ so irresistible and objectionable at the same time. Stan is our narrator and guide through the play and Hyde does a great job with his character. Like the audience, he is torn between disgust, delight and despair at DJ’s antics. Hyde has an infectious energy and a very good sense of comic timing. That said, credit must be paid to the whole cast for the quality of their performances.
A slick and thoroughly amusing show, Don Juan on Soho isn’t for the lighthearted but it will definitely leave a smile on your face. It may be set in London but it’s definitely a show about here and now.
