Review: Richard Bean's new play Reykjavik, Hampstead Theatre
26/10/2024
Richard Bean's new play Reykjavik at the Hampstead Theatre is set in the 1970s among a community of Hull-based trawler fishing men.
It is hard and dangerous work, taking the men away for three weeks at a time as they head further and further into potentially dangerous waters to find fish.
Boats returning without a good catch risk big losses for the owner of the company, Donald Claxton (John Hollingworth), and potentially the sack for the skipper.
But tragedy strikes and one of Claxton's boats sinks in freezing seas off Iceland, resulting in the death of 15 crew. Donald goes from being the disliked "capitalist" boss to being hated by those he employs and their families.
The first half is set in Donald Claxton's dim, solid, dark wood-furnished warehouse office (set design by Anna Reid), where interactions with a string of visitors reveal more of the boss and life in the community.
While Claxton is a businessman, he isn't without heart and respects the traditions built up around tragedies of this sort.
The community is like any other in its mix of relationships and gossip, and long stretches away at sea suit some families and workers more than others. Their's is an inherent practicality in their approach to life and work, but it is wrapped in a thin veil of superstition and myth.
This is something that gets explored in the second half of the play, which is set in a hotel in Reykjavik where four survivors from the sunken ship are holed up before they get a boat home.
Claxton flies out to meet them, and with visible tensions, they settle in for a night of drinking and storytelling to pass the time.
It is a jolt in tone after a relatively gentle first half; the energy is alcohol-fuelled and often lairy, but it also gives the fishermen's lens on the industry.
They are well-drawn 'characters', the performances lifting Richard Bean's well-crafted script off the page. Some of the cast also get to enjoy playing contrasting characters in the second half.
The 'on-the-verge-of-violence' Jack, played by Matthew Durkan, is crude and has no filter; he contrasts with the gullible, flirtatious Snacker (Adam Hugill) and superstitious Quayle (Paul Hickey).
It is certainly an actor's play, and the stories in the second half are atmospheric and well told. It paints a vivid picture of life for a trawler fishing man and their families, but the play feels uneven.
The first half plods and subsequently becomes an overly elaborate set-up for Reykjavik. And as a character study, it doesn't sufficiently get under the skin.
It is occasionally witty and funny, which lightens the darker themes without becoming an all-out comedy. And yet, the darker narrative threads don't really mine the associated emotional depths.
Enjoyable performances and excellent writing, but something was missing to properly satisfy. I'm giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️.
Reykjavik, Hampstead Theatre
Written by Richard Bean
Directed by Emily Burns
Cast: Sophie Cox, Matthew Durkan, Laura Elsworthy, Paul Hickey, John Hollingworth, Adam Hugill and Matt Sutton.
Running time: 2 hours and 30 including an interval.
Booking until 23 November; for more details and to book tickets, visit the Hampstead Theatre website.
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