Some plays simply do not stand the test of time and come across as horribly outdated when presented to today’s audience but some, like Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story, are as lively and relevant today as when they were penned.
Originally written in 1958, Albee’s darkly comic and ultimately tragic play admittedly smacks of a bygone era but the themes, characters and even the parlance are immediately identifiable to a modern audience. While this is a great testament to Albee’s writing, the real thanks for the successful transference belongs to Phil Nichol and Graham Elwell, whose characters stand perfectly against each other.
On one hand we have Elwell’s perfectly prim and measured Peter – a man who seems entirely content with his world and is only flustered by an errant wasp – and on the other we have Nichol’s stalking, skulking social malcontent Jerry, who instantly reeks of danger. With this imminently obvious set up of antagonist and victim so firmly in place, the violent and shocking conclusion is even more surprising and unsettling than expected.
In truth, it is Nichol who delivers the most charismatic, gripping performance but his passionate, energetic mania would be pointless without the slow erosion of Elwell’s staid resolve to pitch against.
It is quite an achievement to find a Fringe show that has either a great script or great actors but to find a good script backed up by two truly fantastic actors is rare indeed, so please shun the draw of Bailey and Davies and go and see Nichol and Elwell instead – they’re cheaper but much more valuable.
5/5
Richard Biggs
