Kiss of the Spider Woman
If you aren't curious about what happens when a gay, film-loving window dresser and a straight Marxist guerrilla are thrown together in a Latin American jail than today's post is not for you. But if you are than I suggest you book now (press night is tonight) for an evening of 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' at the Donmar.The play involves two actors who deserve to be heralded pleasures of current London theatre: Will Keen as the flouncing, mincing, prancing yet astonishingly heart-breaking Molina and Rupert Evans as the politically possessed and defensive Valentin. The plot centres around the two men locked in a cell with Molina passing the time by recounting memories from one of his favourite films. He weaves the characters into a narrative meant to comfort Valentin and distract him from the harsh realities of political imprisonment.
Molina reminded me of the father in 'Life Is Beautiful' who lives in his own romantic fairy tale world, but must learn how to use his fertile imagination to help his son survive their internment in a Nazi concentration camp. It is that absolutely pure thing of the collective imagination: two people in a room listening to the glamorous fantasy of a story. For me the play was all about where the mind can take you - two men shut inside a room like we, the audience, are shut inside the theatre.
The world of the prison is a wonderful metaphor for how people try to disengage from life. Similiar to the world of the pub, in many ways. Thankfully, with a ticket price of £15 my evening afforded disengagement in both.
'Kiss of the Spider Woman'
Donmar Warehouse
0870 060 6624
Until 26 May
posted by City Slicker at 3:41 pm
13 Comments:
Saw the film. Loved it. Want to go!
love rupert evans
So hard to book a ticket at the Warehouse. Will give a call now.
Oh, Elisabeth, Elisabeth.
How could you?
This was a dreary, dreary evening for us.
Let us take you out and and teach you how to have a bad time at the theatre. It is much more fun that way.
Really whingers you didn't love it?
Are they really gay?
I have always wondered what this show/film was about. Thanks CS.
Will give it a try.
Anal penetration on stage in full frontal so to speak? Not too sure bout that.
Reviewed in today's Guardian here
But Whingers the critics agree with CS. Why did you detest so much? Hard to tell from your post unless it was truly just that horrific indeed!
The Times rather liked it too.
Having seen the film ages ago, I must say that, despite the whingers's critique (and they're usually pretty spot on about sch things) I'm still rather intrigued to see how this works on stage. Will have to get myself down the Donmar.
Will Keen only took over as Molna due to the indisposition of Iain Glen. Pleased to hear he took off!
The Stage liked it
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