Duncan Macmillan wowed me a few months ago as co-adapter and co-director of 1984 which travelled to Broadway from London. Now his play People, Places & Things is being performed at St. Ann’s Warehouse. Once again, we are rewarded with stylized and intense theatricality with a riveting central performance. The play is about addiction and rehabilitation. The actress is Denise Gough, who won an Olivier Award for this role and is making a big time New York stage debut. While she will be on Broadway this spring with another London production (Angels in America), this performance should not be missed.
Ms. Gough’s character is an actress who opens the play in a tailspin while performing The Seagull. Within minutes we are at a rehab center watching the train wreck and cannot look away. The performance is real and complex, like the character. As you might imagine, we are in the land of emotions, sharing, setbacks and healing. Writing her as an actress is one of the great devices here. We are forced to examine identity; how we present ourselves, how others see us and ultimately who we want to be.
This might sound like every other addiction story ever told. Under the direction of Jeremy Herrin, however, this production is far from ordinary. This play connects rehab with the theatrical process. In that regard, we have a staging that is dynamic in the big moments while quiet in the soft moments. Add in a few jolting flourishes of light and sound and we are forced to experience this character’s journey head on. Icing on the cake: it’s a great play from beginning to the unforgettable end.
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