The Miniaturist night at The Arcola Theatre is a wonderful evening of brand new short plays by some of the UK’s top young writing talent. But ultimately, the night does leave one wondering where and when these works might be performed again. If performed only on a night such as this, does that mean, as play texts, they can possibly stand alone?
Constant eruptions of anger, sexual frustration, discrimination of town against country and English against Irish, and hostilities of son against father, servant against master and mistress run as a guiding set of threads through every scene; and assorted categories of gendered vanity, both misogynist and misanthropic, provide the root of much of the humour, some of it still unsettlingly cruel and mocking
I would see it again and again if I could. It’s an amazing achievement on a tiny budget; with proper support it could run for ages. It’s better than many West End productions of musicals which do.
This is an extraordinary play performed and directed with consummate skill and incredible insight. It should transfer to the West End and be seen by anyone who has a family.
