Jay Taylor (Robert) and Olivier Coopersmith (Alan) in 46 Beacon 46 Beacon
Trafalgar Studios
10 April 2017
3 Stars
Bill Rosenfield’s play is set in a room in Beacon Street, Boston MA, in 1970. The play sweetly presents an encounter between Robert, a confident British actor in town to perform at the local theatre, and Alan, a young man about to come out of the closet. Rosenfield based the play on his own experience of such a night, and the period is realised perfectly both in the script and in Ruth Hall’s design. The intimacy of Trafalgar Studio Two adds to the cosiness of the piece, which, overall, is a tender encounter that meant huge significance for both men.
L To R: Oliver Coopersmith and Jay Taylor in 46 Beacon.
As Robert, Jay Taylor is wonderfully confident, not an arrogant actor, but in control of the evening, seducing Alan carefully and tenderly, and revealing not only a perfect body, but Robert’s insecure relationship and defence mechanisms. He is matched perfectly by Oliver Coopersmith as Alan, beautifully insecure, shy, in denial, innocent, yet giving in to his life changing night with the older man. Both performances are beautifully nuanced, gaining huge laughs from some effective one liners, perfectly timed, and Alexander Lass’s sensitive direction allows the night to unfold at a steady pace. The changes in tone are handled beautifully, and there are also some good jokes about theatre to appeal to the ‘in’ crowd!
Jay Taylor as Robert in 46 Beacon.
In the opening monologue, Robert addresses the audience from the present, and places the play itself in the context of 1970, referencing Sondheim’s company and The Boys in the Band, among other cultural highlights. The play feels like a sweet counterpoint to The Boys in the Band, without the self-loathing and bitchiness on display in that work. 46 Beacon is a tender, sweet play about an encounter that may make you think of your own first time, but that is also the weakness of the script. There is little drama, and no dramatic stakes are raised, and for that reason it may struggle to be remembered in the lexicon of gay drama. However, that is also the strength of the play, its beautiful performances and its self-reflection.
Until 29 April 2017
Photos: Pete Le May
BOOK TICKETS TO 46 BEACON
Paul is a playwright, director, actor, academic, (he has a PhD from the University of East Anglia), teacher and theatre reviewer! His plays include Living with Luke, (UK tour 2016), Play Something, (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/Drayton Arms Theatre, London 2018), , (2019), and now The Miner’s Crow, which won the inaugural Artist’s Pick of the Fringe Award at the first ever Colchester Fringe Festival 2021. In lockdown 2020 he created the audio series Isolation Alan, available on Youtube, and performed online in the Voice Box Festival. He is the founder member of Stage Write, a Colchester based theatre company, and his acting roles include Rupert in How We Love by Annette Brook, first performed at the Vaults Festival 2020 and revived at the Arcola and at Theatre Peckham in 2021. Follow: @stagewrite_
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