Carolina Main and Paul Murphy in Valhalla. Photo: Paul Said Valhalla
Theatre503
2nd October 2015
4 Stars
If you’ve had a difficult phonecall today, spare a thought for poor Paul Murphy. Before the press night of his first full West End production as writer, his leading man has to withdraw, meaning that he has to cover the main role himself with script in hand.
Murphy is the creator of Valhalla, an intriguing and interesting production set in an isolated Nordic research facility. A couple is sequestered there to work on a cure for a global epidemic, until the project (and their marriage) starts to fall apart. The pair is forced to question their perspectives of love and science as they are rocked by a series of startling revelations.
Valhalla beat off 1600 submissions to win the Theatre503 Playwriting Award and it is easy to see why; the dialogue is sparky and natural, with some sharp and clever lines. It also intertwines some complex and thought-provoking themes with ease, touching on ideas of paranoia, medical ethics and even Norse mythology.
The play is littered with a series of bombshells that help to keep the audience guessing and adds to the general ambience of uncertainty and distrust. This transition into some very dark subject matter is well handled and rarely seems forced, with some wonderful dramatic tension in the final act.
Paul Murphy in Valhalla. Photo: Paul Said.
However, it all comes apart a bit in the final two scenes; the pacing seems wrong and the closing twist is out of keeping with the rest of the play. It isn’t a particularly long play and it feels like the ending could have been fleshed out more to bring it to a more natural and satisfying conclusion.
Paul Murphy was surprisingly excellent as the unnamed male protagonist. The script in hand was a slight distraction but his performance was strong enough that it often went unnoticed. He was clearly comfortable with the nuances of his own material and was able to go off script at times. It was a sensitive portrayal of a highly conflicted individual, which was especially remarkable given the circumstances that led to him being on stage.
He had strong chemistry with his female partner, played by Carolina Main. Main is a fun and energetic presence on stage, with some excellent comic timing. She showed a lot of depth and emotion, charting her character’s descent into mania with skill.
The sterile set and clinical lighting perfectly conveyed the creeping claustrophobia demanded by the script, with a savvy use of darkness to immediately follow key dramatic moments.
Valhalla is an intense and gripping production, which showed its class in very difficult circumstances. Whilst the ending could do with some work, it is clever and thought provoking enough to warrant a longer run elsewhere.
Danny Coleman-Cooke is an experienced writer, who covers news, sport and comedy for high-profile personalities and broadcasters. His speeches and scripts can be seen on stage, on primetime TV and in Parliament, broadcast to wide and diverse audiences. His experience includes writing for the BBC’s Have I Got News for You, Channel 4’s Paralympics coverage, and the Premier League’s live match commentary. He has also managed social media accounts for a number of major brands, including Tesco, The Guardian and the BBC. He's also a well-established speechwriter, scriptwriter and copywriter and has written for a wide range of famous faces in the world of politics and entertainment. He recently had his first theatrical credit, as co-writer of a musical adaptation of Beowulf, which toured the Midlands and was performed at the Royal Albert Hall. Danny is a huge theatre fan and was part of the writing team for the 2015 and 2016 Olivier Awards.
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