But to begin, I was lucky enough to win tickets through http://www.ayoungertheatre.com to the premier of Philip Ridley's new play Shivered at the Southwark Playhouse on Monday. Now skip past all the obvious excitment *competition! win! me? my favourite writer!* and my brain being as slow as it is, I realised something contrary to my rant's point last week.
To reiterate, I made a point about the exciting work mostly reserved for fringe theatre having a chance to be seen by a wider audience by putting it in West End theatres. It's no secret that I champion in-yer-face theatre; but it had been so long since I'd seen such a show that I'd forgotten the obvious whilst writing my last rant. A show like that works best in an intimate venue, like the Southwark Playhouse; I couldn't imagine seeing a play like Shivered in a much bigger space without it losing its impact. It's impossible to interact with an audience that closely on a West End level. The thing about plays like this is the way the actors look at you and it feels as if they're looking at YOU, and from thereon have an insane abilitiy to play tug of war with your insides (Ridley...you God).
I barely remember being at the Southwark Playhouse once before, but huddled by strangers in small seats in an enclosed, dark space, listening to the tube roll by above you every few minutes, is strangely such a necessary element in pieces like these. And I'd forgotten that, tucked into my comfy red velvet seats at the Haymarket. And here I shall extend my earlier point; in an ideal world, it wouldn't only be possible to open an audience's eyes to the wealth of innovative theatre being created out there; but to theatre spaces without chandeliers and proscenium arches blocking your engagement with a show. Oh if only variety really was the affordably priced, tesco value spice rack of life.
