The Hothouse at The Trafalgar Studios

I wasn’t familiar with The Hothouse, Harold Pinter’s second play, written in 1958, but not performed until 1980, so had no preconceived ideas on going to see this revival starring, amongst others, Simon Russell Beale and John Simm.  As far as I’m concerned Director Jamie Lloyd’s production is excellent, imbuing this ‘tragic black comedy’ with laughs galore, whilst also illustrating that beneath the comedy something very sinister is happening.

The play is set on Christmas Day in what appears to be a secure ‘hospital’ establishment somewhere in rural England.  At least that is what we assume it to be (Pinter keeps us guessing as to the exact nature of the place) aided and abetted as it is by Soutra Gilmour’s shabby Soviet inspired office.  Ex-military man, Colonel Roote, the puffed up, extraordinarily physical, Simon Russell Beale, is in charge, or would be if he even knew what day it is, but all is not well.  Patient  6457 has died, whilst another, 6459, has unexpectedly given birth.  Roote panics (no change there it would seem) and orders his overly ambitious second-in-command, Gibbs, the wonderfully smarmy but with increasing hints of menace, John Simm, to discover who did what to whom.  Roote, too, is a violent tyrant underneath his genial exterior and as the play goes onto portray the insidious corruption of power, he becomes increasingly cornered, thus unearthing the rat within. Simon Russell Beale and John Simm are two actors at the top of their game .... wonderful.

The fall guy for the impregnation is the way too eager to please security man, Lamb, who ends up a gibbering, catatonic wreck.  Another suggestion of what really goes on behind closed doors in this unpleasant building, as one is under no illusion that he’s not the first to be subjected to such rigorous psychological tests. The obviously vulnerable inmates are never seen, just periodically heard in the distance.  Pinter leaves it up to us to imagine what kind of treatment they’re enduring.

Simon Russell Beale sets the comic pace and the rest of the cast brilliantly follow suite, from Indira Varma’s sultry, unhinged and overtly sexy nurse, clothed in a bra of gigantic push-up proportions to John Heffernan’s mutinous Lush, the dandy in a purple suit constantly baiting Roote.  We're also treated to a cameo performance by Christopher Timothy as a man from the ministry.  I haven't seen him in ages!

As usual, Simon Russell Beale is a comic joy but it isn’t he alone that makes The Hothouse a wonderful second choice for the Trafalgar Transformed season.