Danny and The Deep Blue Sea
By John Patrick Shanley, Human Sacrifice Theatre
Where and When: Chapel off Chapel Thurs to Sun Nov 9 to Nov 23, 2008
Reviewer: Kate Herbert on Nov 9, 2008
Stars:***
Danny and The Deep Blue Sea is a gritty piece of American realism by John Patrick Shanley. Danny (Justin Hosking) and Roberta (Tania Lentini) are two damaged New Yorkers who meet in a Bronx bar. There is a violent edge to the start of the play and Hosking is credible as the troubled Danny who has a very short fuse and a habit of picking fights after drinking too much.
What follows is a gentler and strangely romantic interaction between Danny and Roberta, a young mum who is looking for human contact. Roberta takes Danny to her home where she lives with her parents and her child and they grapple, argue, dream a little and hope for a better and more loving life – together. This is a love story that looks hopeless but might just work in some insane way.
Hosking and Lentini play these characters with sympathy and sensitivity. Danny is volatile, unpredictable and dangerous but Hosking explores his soft underbelly while Tania is erratic and needy but strangely lovable. Shanley’s play, directed by Lucy Freeman, is a short, edgy drama with a heart.
By Kate Herbert
No comments:
Post a Comment