Taking Part / After the Party
Adam Brace / Serge Cartwright
Taking Part / After the Party
Taking Part: Lucky Henry, a Congolese security guard, has set his sights on representing his country at the 2012 Olympics. Only one problem; he’s a terrible swimmer and his Russian coach wants to fly home on the first day of training. After the Party: Sean and Ray are best friends from Stratford. Once a promising DJ double act, now they're stuck in a rut: 30ish, unemployed but still clinging to a fantasy of making it in the music industry. With a baby on the way and the world about to arrive on their doorstep for London 2012, it could be the perfect opportunity for them to make something of their lives....
3.0 out of 5 based on 7 reviews
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Omniscore:
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| Location |
London |
| Venue |
Criterion |
| Director |
Charlotte Gwinner / Samuel Hodges |
| Cast |
Paul Moriarty, Richard Riddell, David Fynn Obi Abili |
| From |
July 2012 |
| Until |
August 2012 |
| Box Office |
0870 060 2313 |
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Taking Part: Lucky Henry, a Congolese security guard, has set his sights on representing his country at the 2012 Olympics. Only one problem; he’s a terrible swimmer and his Russian coach wants to fly home on the first day of training. After the Party: Sean and Ray are best friends from Stratford. Once a promising DJ double act, now they're stuck in a rut: 30ish, unemployed but still clinging to a fantasy of making it in the music industry. With a baby on the way and the world about to arrive on their doorstep for London 2012, it could be the perfect opportunity for them to make something of their lives....
Reviews
The Evening Standard
Henry Hitchings
“Taking Part feels neatly topical rather than illuminating. Serge Cartwright’s After the Party seems inspired by Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem and the sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.”
31/07/2012
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The Financial Times
Ian Shuttleworth
“No great profundity is intended in a performance slot like this, but [Taking Part] is a play with a head on its shoulders. Serge Cartwright’s After the Party, in contrast, is unadulterated east London wide-boy comedy. ”
31/07/2012
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The Guardian
Michael Billington
“Brace's play leaves you unsure at what point Henry turns from a naive dreamer into a sharp operator; what it pins down very well, however, is the intensity of the swimmer-coach relationship. With the two roles excellently performed by Obi Abili and Paul Moriarty under Charlotte Gwinner's direction, you realise that the tutor is even more driven, neurotic and status-conscious than the pupil ... Hodges's production has a rough energy. David Fynn is horribly good as the loud-mouthed but loyal Ray, and we are reminded that, whatever the larger legacy of the Olympics, life has to go on and personal disappointment still has to be endured.”
31/07/2012
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The Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish
“Although Adam Brace and Serge Cartwright’s double-bill of one-act, 2012-themed plays won’t win any awards, there’s enough here to help tourists with a decent grasp of English or members of the home-crowd at a loss for something to do to happily kill a few hours.”
31/07/2012
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The Times
Dominic Maxwell
“Neither play makes it to the podium, but both are better than plucky losers.”
01/08/2012
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The Observer
Susannah Clapp
“After the Party brings together desperation and shenanigans in Stratford ... Cartwright's springy dialogue gives Kate Lamb – "Iss a joke, I swear" – the chance to give a knockout turn as a white rude-girl. Alongside Jeremy Hunt on banging the national drum and David Cameron on being unswerving, there's a fine rap sequence and an elegant episode of burger-tossing choreography.”
05/08/2012
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The Observer
Susannah Clapp
“After the Party brings together desperation and shenanigans in Stratford – where the Olympics don't make it easier to get a flat ... Cotterill's compact design projects the crumbling state of public services: a burger van is a recycled NHS vehicle. Cartwright's springy dialogue gives Kate Lamb – "Iss a joke, I swear" – the chance to give a knockout turn as a white rude-girl. Alongside Jeremy Hunt on banging the national drum and David Cameron on being unswerving, there's a fine rap sequence and an elegant episode of burger-tossing choreography.”
05/08/2012
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