Star rating - 8/10
Young
actor Perry Fitzpatrick proves that he can carry off a big performance in his
role as Arthur Seaton in ‘Saturday Night and Sunday Morning’ at the Royal
Exchange. As the narrator of the play, Perry
carries each and every scene with an assured, swaggering, and charismatic
performance as cock of the north - or in
this case Nottingham . And I’ve never seen an actor called to get dressed and
undressed so much in a single play.
Perry is
from Nottingham himself, so this seems a part tailor made for him in every way. Arthur
works at the Raleigh cycle factory, and loves nothing more than to spend his wages
on sharp suits and beer. He spends his time in a heady cocktail of rebelling
against authority, and chasing married women. He’s a bad boy that you can’t
help but love for his charm and hidden heart of gold.
Directed
by the accomplished Exchange veteran Matthew Dunster, it got off to a bit
patchy start. The echoes at the same time as the actors speaking didn’t really
work, and the actors coming on in triplicate as the same character seemed unnecessarily
diverting. The scenery malfunction with one of the lights crashing to the
floor can’t have helped much. But the second half really fizzed along, and the
fairground scene at the Goose Fair was brilliant.
There are
other impressive performances from Clare Calbraith as one of Arthur’s married
love interests, Brenda; especially a long and harrowing scene involving that
old wives’ remedy for an unwanted pregnancy - a very hot bath and too much gin.
Tamla Kari is spirited as Doreen - the one who finally tames him into
domesticity– or at least who thinks she has.
Adapted
from Alan Sillitoe’s 1958 novel, this play is still hard hitting, though obviously
now more of a period piece than a commentary on current morality and society, but
it’s still seriously good drama. So it’s a major return to form for the
Exchange, and a sizzling performance to remember from Perry Fitzpatrick.
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