Sydney & The Old Girl, Park Theatre - ★★★★ - Until November 30, 2019


This is a play for the players. It is a wonderful opportunity for actors to demonstrate their artistry and and to make the most of some carefully crafted language. As parent and child caught in a toxic relationship, Miriam Margolyes and Mark Hadfield are given an amazing opportunity to display their skills and they both seize it. As the aged, invalid parent, Nell and son/caregiver, Sydney, they are completely believable; their verbal exchanges of cruel and caustic remarks make the audience howl with pained and horrified laughter. They play a game of cat and mouse about Sydney's inheritance while mutually torturing each other in ways both blatant and quite cunning. Past grievances fester and present dissatisfactions grate until emotions are raw, and into this vicious circle comes Irish an care worker. Marion Fee, beautifully played by Vivien Parry hits just the right note of well-meaning normalcy in this dark environment and like the average audience member is well outside her emotional depth. This world premiere of Eugene O'Hare's grisly game of cat and mouse between the two protagonists offers the opportunity for a tour de force of acting, but it is not an evening for the faint-hearted.

 Reviewed by J.C.

  Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆ 

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 WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Until November 30, 2019
Mon - Sat: 7:30 pm
Thu & Sat: 3 pm (except Nov 21)
Park Theatre
Nearest tube: Finsbury Park Station
https://www.parktheatre.co.uk/whats-on/sydney-the-old-girl
Map & Location: Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, London N4 3JP, UK

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