Posts Tagged ‘science’
Inherit the Wind
The Old Vic, Waterloo SE1
Kevin Spacey, David Troughton
Directed by Trevor Nunn
Jerome Lawrence and Robert E Lee’s play about freedom of thought is as relevant as ever in this, the 150th year since Darwin’s Origin of Species was first published. A classic battle between science and religion, Trevor Nunn’s production is a tense and sweaty courtroom drama. It was also surprisingly comic in places, with the house laughing along to Spacey and Troughton as they delivered their performances with conviction.
Kevin Spacey seems to divide opinion: I’ve discovered that some of the people I know really don’t like him. I loved American Beauty at the cinema and wasn’t disappointed by The Usual Suspects. To me, he excels in playing an apparently ordinary Joe with a sinister underbelly. While his role in Inherit the Wind doesn’t immediately call for these things, there is a seeping sense of him wearing down his opponent’s argument amid a climate which doesn’t promote freedom of thought. Spacey is a prowly presence on stage against Troughton’s Biblical bluster. Stunning stuff, even better than I expected it to be.
Beforehand, we ate at the Waterloo Brasserie, new place for both of us. It’s the first time I’ve booked a restaurant online and it all worked. Fish and chips for me, followed by apple and pear crumble with cinnamon ice cream. My pal had the crab linguine, which I sampled some of and it was luscious. She also had the crumble. The Brasserie was good: smart and busy with pre-theatre diners. Lots of red design and dark woods. We will return.
