Play House and Definitely the Bahamas by Martin Crimp Review

Reviewed by Sally Smith

The two individual plays in this script copy, although first staged over 20 years apart were shown together at The Orange Tree Theatre in March this year. From reading the scripts, I wish that I’d have been there!

Play House
Play House has two characters, Simon and Katrina. Instantly the tension and uncomfortable love jumps off the page at you. There is also a feeling of a strange claustrophobia in their relationship. The scene where the couple are discussing nervous breakdown, whilst cleaning out the mouldy fridge is particularly poignant.

It is the details that have been purposely left out of the play that make you think about it however. Many hours after reading Play House, I was still wondering about the questions left unanswered. These spaces in between the lines make you realise what a well-written script this is.

Definitely the Bahamas
Definitely the Bahamas again left questions unanswered – after reading the script twice, I was still picturing the scenes in my mind, trying to fill in the gaps. It is a dark and restless play revolving around Milly and Frank discussing their feelings towards their adult son’s behaviour. The third character in the play is a Dutch student who casts a completely different light on events.

Crimp portrays the middle-aged couple with such clarity. They are flawed, prejudiced and almost blind to the suspect behaviour of their son. The detailed monologues are excellent – there is a real feeling of characters with a defined history – a very difficult thing to achieve straight off the page.

Overall, I would definitely pick up the script again to read for inspiration. The plays are creepy, dark and in many places, incredibly funny. But most of all, I hope to be able to see live performances.

Rating: 4/5

RRP: £9.99 (Paperback) / £6.99 (Kindle)

Available to buy from Faber and Faber here.