“You know what it’s like when you’re in a room with the light on and then suddenly the light goes out? I’ll show you. It’s like this.”
He turns out the light.
BLACKOUT”
I do try and test my prejudices when it comes to playwrights for whom I have little fondness but the reality is that its hard to psyche yourself up in the name of being open-minded. Pinter is one of those writers for me, I can’t say I’ve ever enjoyed myself at one of his plays and at this point, I can’t see myself having a breakthrough moment with him in the way that I did with, say, Chekhov.
The main reason I allowed myself to be persuaded to see Sean Mathias’ production of No Man’s Land, previously seen in New York, was the cast – theatrical royalty in Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart plus Damian Molony and Owen Teale – but even then I can’t say that I was anything but bored in this tale of two old actors who may or may not share a past and waste a whole lotta breath skirting around it.