BWW Reviews: BUTLEY, Duchess Theatre, June 6 2011

There was pretty much no way I wasn't going to enjoy this (having studiEd English at university, and now teaching at various colleges) but Simon Gray's Butley - written in 1971 and treated here very much as a piece of its time - is dark, hilarious and very cutting to the modern audience's ears.

It's a tale of sex, sexual jealousy and power - as Chicago would put it, all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts - so it continues to enthrall and amuse, even when we're wondering whether or not we should be laughing or disapproving.

Dominic West (or "that man from The Wire") holds the show together as the eponymous anti-hero, but he has excellent support from the rest of the cast, who make their presences felt in meaningful ways. Martin Hutson, as Butley's former protege Keyston, conveys fear, loathing and cowardice; while Paul McGann (or "the Doctor Who McGann") adopts a broad Yorkshire accent and a pinstripe suit as he lures Keyston away from his mentor.

 

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