'I am not my body, I am me'

Rock n roll by Tom Stoppard at the Duke of York’s theatre, St Martin’s Lane on 31st October 2006

So another year passes into a gin induced coma and time continues to travel at invidious speeds. I wish I could go back and tell me younger self to hurry up, to catch up to make the most of glowing skin and romantic opportunities but unfortunately no, I’m stuck with what I’ve got... However, there is still gin and merriment and friendships new and old to kindle/rekindle. All is not lost.

At the Duke of York’s my old favourite Rufus Sewell (I’d call my eldest born son after him but I’m afraid he’d get the sh*t kicked out of him on trips home to Wales), is holding court with a sensitive and measured (ooh, get her!) performance as Jan, an East European, good-looking, reluctant hero of the communist era in what is now the Czech Republic. An artist of the John Lennon ‘simple messages are good’ ‘give peace a chance’ variety, he struggles to come to terms with the oppressiveness of the state he’s living in. He doesn’t want to be a dissident or a leader but that exactly what occurs as he clings to his love of rock n roll to makes sense of the world, especially his beloved Plastic people of the universe who are censored to the point where they can’t play anymore and their fans are all arrested as deviants/enemies of the state.

Sewell is perfect in the part and there are other good actors in the play including Sinead Cusack, playing two parts- mother and daughter, across the generations. In the first of her roles, Eleanor, she argues with her husband about consciousness and the mind/body connection. Dying from cancer she battles bravely against an aggressive and debilitating enemy. One that’s destroying her body piece by piece but cannot diminish her spirit and her lust for life; she defiantly sticks two fingers up to the disease as she warns her student Lenka, ‘not to try and shag her husband until she’s dead’. Great stuff. In the second of her roles, Esme, she plays an under-achieving ‘flower child’ who struggles in her own battle against feelings of futility and worthlessness in face of her parents’ and daughter’s genius. In both parts Cusack is extremely effective.

The musical interludes that punctuate the drama are well placed if not a bit startling at first, and the sleeve notes add even more texture to the experience. Overall the play is complex and weighty without being unwieldy. It helps if you know something of the political era its set in before you go, but human relationships are at its core and that’s what sustains it. The set is simple but effective with Jan’s small apartment with its dusty shelves of vinyl and the house of Eleanor and her family with its familial comings and goings create a sense of harmony and intimacy with the audience. These people live in recognisable surroundings, even thought there lives are played out on an international stage.

Yes it was a great play and a great birthday treat. Serious issues, serious history, seriously good music. Thanks vodkaslut, Bulmersbabe, real ale boy, whiskeydiva, redwineaddict, and all the others for your support and encouragement throughout the year.