Four Brilliant New Plays From Caryll Churchill - Glass. Kill. Bluebird. Imp.
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Last Updated 01 October 2019
After the transatlantic success of Escaped Alone in 2016, legend of British theatre, Caryll Churchill is back at The Royal Court with, not one, but four new plays. They're as oblique, surreal and searing as you'd expect, peppered with her unique incisive wit and humour.
There's a running theme of myth and belief running through the plays, the first, Glass, being the least accessible, a strange surreal tale of a glass girl on a mantelpiece who chats along to a plastic dog and a clock. No? Me neither. But it's a lyrical tale and whether you understand this or not, it's beautifully written.
The other three are less opaque beginning with Kill, which involves a god sitting on a cloud berating human actions but reconciling it with the fact that he isn't real anyway, so who cares? Bluebird is a witty take on the legend — a group of suburban friends and neighbours sip wine and come to terms with having been familiar with a serial wife killer. The final and longest of the plays Imp is a Pinteresque view of two ageing cousins (the magnificent Deborah Findlay and Toby Jones), one of whom believes she has an imp in a bottle.
Director, James MacDonald has again paired up with designer Miriam Buether to create a suitably disquieting atmosphere and this is note perfect. Sadly, you'll struggle to get a ticket as theatre-goers have got a whiff of a good thing going on and the run is sold out but try for the bargain £12 Monday rush tickets or a return.
Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp. The Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS, £12-49. Until 12 October
