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The Birthday Party

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Harold Pinter's play, described as an exemplar of theatre of the absurd, is given a bold reworking by the Melbourne Theatre Company.

Editorial


Initially met with confusion and critical hostility, and later heralded as a modern classic, is Harold Pinter's first full-length play, The Birthday Party. Today considered one of Pinter's best loved and most frequently performed plays, the premiere 1958 production exhibited all the hallmarks of Pinter's idiosyncratic style.

Ambiguity and hyperbole of time, space and character, erratic timing, awkward tempo and emotionally-charged drama are at the forefront of the play, which is currently being performed by the Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC). Directed by Julian Meyrick and starring Glenn Shea and Isaac Drandic, Pinter's play - variously described as an exemplar of theatre of the absurd and comedy of menace - is given a bold reworking by the MTC cast.

Stanley Webber is a one-time pianist, now in his mid-30s and residing in an English seaside boarding house run by Meg and Petey Boles. The drama unfolds when Meg attempts to organise a party to celebrate Stanley's birthday; her plans are quickly derailed by the arrival of two strangers looking for Stanley and determined to make the party a hellish experience for all.

Brooke Babington

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Priscilla Floyd
July 21, 2009


This piece of theatre failed to engage me and the seven other people I know who saw it. I several people sleeping in the audience or struggling not to. I left in the interval and was told the second half didn't get any better. I think it could have stayed in 1957 when it got a cold response.

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