A Life in the Theatre

America’s David Mamet wrote his esteemed guide to acting, True and False, at the turn of this century. This play, a backstage dialogue between an older and a promising young actor, which premiered in Chicago in 1977 is really Mamet’s much younger love-letter to the profession. 

A Life in the Theatre should work as a riotous if sentimental comedy about acting disasters, about lost lines and cues and props, and dreadful fellow actors.  Michael Frayn’s Noises Off may be British but it’s the same backstage territory of theatrical homage. .

Fading veteran actor Robert (John Gaden), manipulative and needy, is the full of pompous advice for young actor John (Akos Armont).  They have no bond beyond the stage door but backstage their relationship develops from camaraderie and professional flattery, with John respectful at first but confident and outright rebellious by end.

Their relations are punctuated by quick snippets from the dreadful plays they perform in this tired repertory company - skipping between wartime trenches, to surgery dramas, English drawing room farces, marooned sailors and some carry on at the French barricades.  These are artfully staged on Hugh O’Connor’s detailed backstage set with our earnest actors performing back to an upstage auditorium but caught on side monitors.

Between these are constant costume changes back down to underwear – Mamet surely here revealing the truth of our players stripped down to the tedious repetition and illusion of their profession.

But with each costume fumble in Helen Dallimore’s production, the drive of the play grinds to a stop, which is not helped in between by the two duelling characters failing to pick up the attack and pace required of these American characters and their language. 

For a production more whimsical than hilarious, Gaden’s performance is tender and detailed, but Armont’s physicality – and growing young arrogance – is more engaging.   

I recognised Mamet’s theatre gags of course but here wasn’t moved much to laugh at them.

Martin Portus