Beak Street - review (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

Beak Street - review

4:10pm Thursday 20th May 2010

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Beak Street, Tabard Theatre

This is a fine and powerful play that pulls no punches.

Since early Greek drama, the behaviour of animals has been used as a metaphor for that of humans and here it’s cats that mirror the actions of London’s lowest West End lowlife.

The language is bawdy as one would expect, the play is designated as not suitable for children, so the explicit instruction to always, at the cost of morality and humanity, "cover your arse" comes as no surprise. The failure of Beak, its hero/villain, to do so is the play’s theme.

David Haydn as Beak takes the main role brilliantly and all the large cast of nine on the small Tabard stage give him great support.

Altogether a stimulating and rewarding evening which gives paws for thought.

Incidentally this is the second play that Greg Freeman has premiered at The Tabard, the first being the most impressive Doig.

Richard Langton

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