Harry Clarke, Ambassadors Theatre Review

`Billy Crudup in Harry Clarke. Photo by Carol Rosegg`

Written by Annie for Theatre & Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review.

Theatre seems to be going from strength to strength and we’re only just into the third month of 2024. It can almost seem impossible to keep up, or prioritise what shows to see when there is so much incredible theatre about - but when we were kindly invited to the opening night of Harry Clarke at The Ambassadors Theatre, I was incredibly intrigued to see if this was worth the hype.

Having completed a knock-out run on Broadway, Billy Crudup has brought David Cale’s one-man play to London, making his West End debut. It is here for a strictly limited 9 week run and we were all sat in anticipation for whether the play would be as successful over the pond as it was on Broadway.

It is without a doubt that Crudup is a hugely successful actor, but his presence and natural ability on stage is beyond comparison. He leads the play with such assurance and confidence, it’s hard to do anything but fall completely head first into the world of Harry Clarke. Crudup demands the stage and totally entrances the audience from start to finish, playing in total 17 different characters across the 80 minutes. His accents are at times interesting but in a way I think aids the storyline more than it deters - he is not intending to play a legitimate English man, but his alter ego is that of an Englishman. I can see how the accents perhaps went down so well in the states, but perhaps over here may be a little irksome at times. Regardless of their authenticity, credit is fully due for how seamlessly Crudup is able to flit from one character to the next, whilst remaining constant as the leading narrator. It is a true masterclass into how effortlessly an incredibly complex one-man show can be performed.

Cale’s play is full of twists and turns. I went in totally blind and I’m so glad I did, as it’s fair to say I couldn’t have predicted how the story would unfold. It’s described in their promos as being ‘saltburn-esque’ and I must say this deterred me slightly thinking it was trying to play into fads to sell tickets, which perhaps was making up for a weaker story - but I can happily admit I was totally wrong. It really does have a ‘Saltburn-esque’ feel to it, but if Saltburn was even madder, darker and twisted. Cale’s writing is faultless, he writes with such understanding of his characters, and the plot flowed so organically it felt as if it was being spoken for the first time. It felt wholly authentic - with the audience believing every word Harry Clarke/ the narrator said.

Often the case with one-man shows is the pace or flow of the show is tricky to get perfect, whether it be overly complicating it with props/staging, or over the top movement to bring interest. What was so successful about this production was the completely stripped back approach created by Alexander Dodge - Crudup does not leave the stage, there’s no ‘filler’ music to transition between scenes, and no props are used to make a scene easier to understand. This is a true testament to Crudup’s natural talent, that there was no need to add anything to aid his performance, and yet the story flowed and progressed as intended in the book.

Crudup, despite being totally alone on the stage, carries the story with great understanding, and brings so much colour to the play. He flicks from light to dark so seamlessly it only aids the authentic feeling of the performance further. This is further aided by the wonderful lighting by Alan C. Edwards - who uses lighting to serve purpose, and not over complicate the play. Without giving any of the plot away, there is a very magical moment towards the end of the play which is lit with a single spotlight on Crudup’s face - making the story even darker, and intimate than it had already been.

With so many incredible plays on offer already this year, I truly believe this is one to see if accessible for you - it is a truly entrancing performance and a total masterclass from the entire team behind it.