Polly Stenham, that precocious talent, has returned to the Royal Court with her third play, No Quarter.
But before we wax lyrical on how amazing this sounds (hot actors – tick, intriguing plot – tick) the run which started on 11 January and ends on 9 February is sold out. Day seats are, however, available on ‘£10 Mondays’ which is a good as reason as any to be ten minutes late for work, as these golden tickets are available from 9am online on the day.
Details, as with any guaranteed sell out, are just minimal enough to get us curious and want to see it. When you have Tom Sturridge (On the Road, Punk Rock) and a Downton Abbey cast member in your line up (Zoe Boyle), plus the original That Face (the play that shot Stenham into stardom) director at the helm, you don’t need to do much persuading.
On the plot front, No Quarter details are equally scanty. We are invited to examine the human condition from the perspective of lead character Robin, who has fleed the conventional world and existence. It is supported by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Coutts bank, a powerful pairing – bankable success plus some spot on analysis of human behaviour.
No Quarter may mean no ticket, but we will be interested to read the reviews post-Wednesday’s press night (which had also all sold out to press, alas for us). Will Stenham’s hype live up to itself? Probably.
No Quarter is at the Royal Court until 9 February.
