For a rundown of the plot and what I thought of the filmed version you can see my original review; one of the things that helped it to the top of my 2021 list was that Lagan's film did a better job than most at conveying some of the energy of a live performance, but it's still a different experience actually catching it live.
Partly because the story is a frantic, half-mournful, half-celebratory, build towards an urgent deadline that never actually arrives, and this way we actually get to see an increasingly sweaty and breathless Holden race through the entire 1980s Soho gay scene in 100 minutes. For the live version, designer Nik Corrall has split the stage into three main sections: On audience right, there's the raised booth where composer and sound designer (with Max Pappenheim) John Patrick Elliott performs the live music; left, there's a perilous-looking balcony. Most of the time Holden stays on the central revolve, where a rickety wooden structure like a derelict climbing frame gives him a variety of doors and backdrops.
It's a great design for the actor to run around and clamber over, as it not only lends energy and physicality to a one-man show, but also has the look of being likely to come tumbling down at any moment, an apt metaphor for the 1980s queer scene as an adventure playground in constant threat of catastrophe, and perhaps denial at just how relentlessly the catastrophe would come for almost everyone. I talked in my original review of how effectively Holden as writer has crafted Cruise, taking his own ignorance of the AIDS years as a cue to do his bit to make that part of history widely known to his own generation and future ones*. A re-watch is a reminder of how well this works, as well as some interesting ideas like the play framing Top Gun as a metaphor for this live-fast-die-young world.
Seeing it live also puts more focus on the effort Holden is putting in as performer, creating the cast of characters that will variously be struck down over the course of the story, or live on to provide invaluable support. As well as showcasing his accent and character work, characters like the karaoke-loving Slutty Dave and grumpy drag queen Jackie Shit also give him a chance to sing, and though I don't think I've ever seen the actor in a musical before, I wouldn't be surprised if this opens up that avenue to him as well. In a theatre the importance of music to the piece and its energy seems even more crucial if anything, and helps the show fit into what could have been an intimidatingly large space. Cruise remains impressive and affecting on multiple fronts; this return to the West End is a welcome one, and I wouldn't be surprised if Holden gets to revive it for a couple of other cities in future†.
Cruise by Jack Holden is booking until the 4th of September at the Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue.
Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes straight through.
Photo credit: Pamela Raith.
*my own generation is somewhere between the protagonist Michael's and Holden's own, so while we were fortunate enough to know more about HIV/AIDS and how to avoid it than Michael, my experience of growing up queer is 100% associated with horror stories, dire warnings and safe sex messages, so it still seems amazing to me that someone only 15 years younger than me could be so unaware of it. Holden largely seems to blame his younger self for not taking an interest originally, but there's a whole other direction Cruise could have gone in that explores Section 28's part in his ignorance (if my maths is right, and it rarely is, he would have been about halfway through his education by the time it was repealed.)
†although apparently there's also a film version being mooted, so that could be an alternative to a tour.
No comments:
Post a Comment