The Inheritance: An Engaging Epic About 21st Century Gay Identity
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Last Updated 19 October 2018
Matthew Lopez’s epic, two-part play The Inheritance received a rapturous reception when first staged at the Young Vic earlier this year, leading to this West End transfer. A sort of mash-up of Howards End and Angels in America, it is loosely based on the plot, main characters and some themes of E.M. Forster’s Edwardian novel, but set in New York a generation after the peak of the AIDS epidemic.
Its rich, multi-layered portrayal of 21st century gay identity is poignant and funny, with engaging performances from an almost all-male cast. Wearing its liberal heart on its sleeve, the show nonetheless revolves around a privileged metropolitan elite and has a rose-tinted ending.
It is structured as a novel within a play with Forster (under the guise of his middle name Morgan) as tutor to a group of young gay writers, helping them construct a collaborative narrative that reflects their own experiences. The ensemble move seamlessly between enacting the story and narrating/commenting on it, often remaining at the sides of the stage even when their ‘characters’ are not present.
This ambitious show explores legacy between generations, love and sex, family and friendship, collective responsibility versus individual freedom, and idealistic bohemianism versus materialistic capitalism. Divisive topical politics rears its ugly head in reference to Donald Trump, while literary discussions are interspersed with wild parties.
At the emotional heart of the story are the dilemmas faced by compassionate activist Eric (sensitively played by Kyle Soller) dumped by his long-term partner Toby, a successful but self-destructive writer (the charismatic Andrew Burnap). Samuel H. Levine doubly impresses in the roles of wealthy actor and homeless rent boy, while John Benjamin Hickey is a Republican-supporting businessman who represses his intimate feelings.
And Paul Hilton excels as both the paternal mentor Morgan and the caring protagonist who bequeathes to Eric, as his spiritual heir, the upstate New York house that became a refuge for terminally ill AIDS sufferers whose ghosts haunt it.
Stephen Daldry’s remarkably fluid production plays out on a bare, raised platform with no set changes to interrupt the action, making the seven hours pass surprisingly quickly.
The Inheritance, Noël Coward Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4AU. Until 19 January 2019. Tickets £30–£160 (for both parts).
