Frat party piss up gets political

Now or Later - Royal Court (Jerwood Theatre Downstairs) (23/10/08)

A play written by Christopher Shinn, directed by Dominic Cooke

I always try to find something good, even in the weakest of plays, but it's hard to do that with Now or Later.

We're in a hotel room with John (Eddie Redmayne), a twenty-something Ame

rican student who's the son of a Democratic congressman, soon to be president on election night. John has to explain himself after the release of explicit photos showing him at a student party dressed as the Prophet Muhammad.

Democratic party officials, his parents, and fellow student friend, Matt, think he should issue a written apology to prevent further offence to the Muslim community. Also in the mix, John's also recently split with his uncommitted boyfriend and is still haunted by a failed suicide attempt which has been partly fixed with therapy. So potentially all the ingredients for a topical play with interesting themes and a fascinating family dynamic.

So what went wrong?

Tim thinks: Christopher Shinn writes dialogue like it's been cut 'n' pasted from a stodgy post-grad politics dissertation. No-one really talks like that. and certainly not gay emotional wrecks who're sons of high-ranking politicians. We're led to believe that John is totally convinced his party prank is justified, and hence he won't issue an apology. But his position - which is complex and flimsy - is convincingly undermined by the rest of the cast on several occasions. So why did the writer continue to labour this point ...for SEVENTY-FIVE minutes! If none of the characters believe his point is valid, then why should I?

I can't quite believe how badly Shinn failed in this play, which is annoying because there was so much potential. He sets up the characters beautifully, but doesn't develop them in any meaningful way.

John actually comes across as a young American version of Peter Tatchell - and just as annoying. At times Redmayne shows passion and conviction that lifts the otherwise dull dialogue - for example the tears at the end feel real. His sexuality is definitely

 underplayed which, in this context is justified. I feel sorry for his friend Matt (Domhnall Gleeson) who adds so little to the play he (arguably) doesn't need to be there. But major credit to John's mother, (Nancy Crane), who's convincingly cold-hearted and distant.

John's father (Matthew Marsh) does a good turn as a savvy politician, and his violent attack on John is one of the highlights. Unfortunately, the performances can't gloss over what is a dreadful political drama - minus the drama.

You know the play is duff when you're praying for a knife-wielding psychopath to storm on the set and hack the cast to pieces.

At least it would have been more entertaining.

Tim scores: 4/10