Men at arms. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith
Unhoused from the Cock Tavern Theatre after just three performances, Rob Hayes’s A Butcher of Distinction has found a new home at the King’s Head Theatre in Islington. And while the big story of the week may have been the sudden demise of the Kilburn venue for licensing reasons, it should have been the emergence of a rare new playwriting talent.
Hayes’s influences are a little overt and the story of the war of depravity between town and country has a familiar ring to it but the script certainly shows flair. He has a way to go before he gives us a full-blown masterpiece but this 70 minute playlet indicates that with nurturing and the right opportunities, he may well get there. Some of Hayes’s dialogue is self-consciously Ortonesque -“He was our father, we were his sons. It was a mutual arrangement we had,” “Dead? Is it serious?”” – but it’s forgiveable in a 25 year old finding his voice.
A pair of innocent, unidentical twins, down from rural Herefordshire, uncover the legacy of a monstrous father. Ciarán Owens and Sam Swann are superb as the oddball brothers, Hayes’s witty dialogue pinging back and forth between them, as they pick their way through their late daddy’s measly belongings. Hugo (Swann), a noble goatherd, and Hartley (Owens), the self-proclaimed butcher of distinction, are joined by a seedy exploiter of men and boys, one not so cuddly Teddy (Michael Gould), who takes them, and us, in a new and dark direction.
The televisual truthfulness of the acting (Gould is equally good as the interloper) is very impressive but Ned Bennett’s production almost denies the theatricality and archness of the writing. It would be interesting to see the play given a more expressionistic edge, as there’s an underlying feeling of rustic ritual and impending violence that isn’t fully exploited. The shocking denouement, when it comes, is well-handled.
Fiona Russell’s set of boxes and bare walls looks almost plonked down on the Kings Head’s wide stage but maybe that will settle down as the company adapts to the different space. A Butcher of Distinction has already been published and it’s fortunate that Good Night Out Productions’ temporary solution to its homelessness problem has allowed a wider audience to see it performed.
