Death of England: Closing Time ★★★★ @sohoplace | Aug 22 - Sep 28, 2024


With the third in any trilogy of plays, the question always is "Do I need to have seen the other ones first?" And, the answer here is a resounding "no." Clint Dyer and Roy Williams' Death of England: Closing Time stands on its own as a fascinating study of two cultures wedded to each other in an uneasy alliance. Denise and Carly are yoked together by the fact that the latter is the partner of the former's son, and they have also more or less gone into business together. Nevertheless, the personal and business ties are strained by their differences in race and heritage. They make tentative steps towards each other, but are always on the verge of mutual incomprehension. Dyer and Williams' metaphor for the complex nature of the new multicultural Britain has a wonderfully current feel with references to Kamala Harris and Liz Truss, and jokes that are full of clever contemporary allusions. The language simply soars, with lots of brilliant throwaway lines and images that are fresh and sparkling. Dyer and Williams are wordsmiths of the first order, and their ability to create characters who are touchingly authentic while speaking in some rather carefully wrought cadences and using an unconventionally rich vocabulary is neatly accomplished. If there is any weak point here, it might be with the plot itself which seems rather contrived, feeling a little like an afterthought as the authors' revel in the fireworks of their rhetorical feats. Both Erin Doherty as heedless and hotheaded Carly and Sharon Duncan-Brewster as the formidable, almost ferocious, Denise succeed in totally inhabiting their roles, taking the audience through a range of emotions that is quite extraordinary. They manage to hold the audience spellbound as they struggle to comprehend and care for each other. While it is not requisite to have seen the two previous plays to appreciate this work, it seems quite fitting that the trilogy concludes with the stories of these two women. As the men in their lives, Delroy and Michael, can find a simple camaraderie in their shared passion for football, it is the women who are the real, uneasy progenitors of the new world emerging from the death of England.

Rated: ★★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Helen Murray

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