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Regional Reviews: San Francisco A Flawless Production of Harold Pinter's The Caretaker Also see Richard's reviews of The Aliens, Now Circa Then and High
The Caretaker does not have a multi-part plot with unexpected shifts or teasing twists. A man named Aston (Alan Cox) brings an older man, Davies (Jonathan Pryce), back to his room in a house owned by his brother Mick (Alex Hassell). As time progresses, Aston and Mick ask Davies to be the caretaker at the house, but things don't seem to work. At first glance the materials of this play couldn't be less promising. The two characters just cannot articulate and the third one, Mick, spins superficial, wild lines about real estate, leases, interior decoration, and other common concerns. However, Pinter has found comedy, tenderness and heartbreak in all three and he builds these spare elements into a powerful drama with a climax that will tear at your heart. The Caretaker has become a classic of the British theatrical canon and has been compared to Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. There are elements of deadpan, slapstick and dissatisfaction. The characters talk in "real" language not artificial stage talk. There are unfinished sentences, repetition and odd-sounding phrases—all part of the Pinter dialogue package. It's actually not quite as simple as that because Pinter employs a kind of poetic style that makes it much more then it seems. Jonathan Pryce gives a brilliant performance as the cunning and sly homeless Davies. He weaves a number of facets into this gem of a performance. He is like a fox as he pokes and points at the other two characters. He really morphs into the skin and bones of the old curmudgeon. Sometimes he is like a cornered animal; he cannot believe anyone means to be kind to him. Davies hates foreigners and the blacks who live in an adjacent abandoned house and he thinks they are sharing his lavatory. He trusts no one and fears everyone. Yet, toward the end of the two and a half hour production, you feel a certain sympathy for him. It is a compelling performance. Alan Cox and Alex Hassell give enthralling performances as the two brothers. Cox is persuasive as the withdrawn brain-damaged Aston who puts his trust in the wrong people. He delivers a splendid soliloquy about being given electro-shock therapy that brings the audience near to tears. Hassell exemplifies boiling violence. He convinces us that if we said something slightly unsuitable we would be on the wrong of a raging firestorm. He strides around like a proto-rocker projecting his dreams into an imaginary future, in his long soliloquy about a makeover flat with trendy cork flooring and newly fitted kitchen cabinets. Eileen Diss' set is a glorious confection, with mounds of early 20th century detritus lovingly and artfully arranged, like great baroque swags around the front and the back of the stage. This vintage junk, from a 1940s paraffin stove to pre-war wooden beer crates, is as perfect in the articulation of Pinterland as the text itself. In spite of its simplicity, The Caretaker is gripping from beginning to end and this realized revival is really a "must see." The Caretaker plays through April 22nd at the Curran Theatre, Geary Ave, San Francisco. For tickets call 888-746-1799 or visit www.shnsf.com. Coming up next is Green Day's American Idiot opening at the Orpheum Theatre on June 12 and running through July 8th.
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