The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema & Tv
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
      • Shows
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureTheatre

Waste at the National Theatre

Waste at the National Theatre | Theatre review
13 November 2015
Mimi Biggadike
Avatar
Mimi Biggadike
13 November 2015

Harley Granville Barker’s political satire is revived once more for the London stage, a commentary on society and gender that unfortunately loses some of its subtlety to its apparent timelessness.

Waste discusses love, power and egotism on a scale that seems preoccupied with reducing their worth collectively and individually. The theatre and the stage are packed, particularly in Act One where there seem to be more people on the stage than off. The house lights are only dimmed during the performance to emphasise the audience’s worthlessness to lead Henry Trebell, to whom all fellow cast members are superfluous. He has his mind fixated on the greater good: a bill for the disestablishment of the Church of England. Henry is so central that all the other characters appear liminal, floating on and off the stage as if only there to change the set.

This slow-moving and understated play, which at times doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, relies on the lack of dynamic relationships between characters to provoke thoughts on cause and consequence. The purposeful absence of theme hinges on the idea of personality and of individual culpability, leaving one wondering how Henry would have fared today with a spin-doctor in tow.

At one point, Henry is told that his “heresy has its fascinations”, and so too does Waste. It is a superbly acted, superbly dressed (both actors and stage) and superbly thoughtful production, but its attempts at ambiguity come out as vaguely nuanced hyperbole. Much of this, however, is necessary to the play: a work about bombast and superficiality concealing darker, and even fatal, truths.

Nevertheless, it is the way that the production plays the irony of the title and its implications which holds a fascination strong enough to keep people flocking to the National Theatre. It is for us to decide how the play defines the word “waste”.

★★★★★

Mimi Biggadike
Photo: Johan Persson

Waste is on at the National Theatre from 3rd November until 19th March, for further information or to book visit here.

Related Itemsreview

More in Theatre

Typical at Soho Theatre

★★★★★
Ella Satin
Read More

Grimm Tales for Fragile Times and Broken People

★★★★★
Emma-Jane Betts
Read More

Gatsby at Cadogan Hall: An interview with Jodie Steele and Ross William Wild

Michael Higgs
Read More

Living Record Festival: Ain’t No Female Romeo

★★★★★
Brooke Snowe
Read More

West End Musical Drive In Online

★★★★★
James Humphrey
Read More

Hymn at the Almeida Theatre Online

★★★★★
Michael Higgs
Read More

Songs for a New World

★★★★★
Sophia Moss
Read More

Night Tree at Pavilion Dance South West Online

★★★★★
Alexandra Fletcher
Read More

The Color Purple – At Home at Curve Theatre Online

★★★★★
Emma-Jane Betts
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Theatre review

Mimi Biggadike

Waste

★★★★★

Dates

3rd November 2015 - 19th March 2016

Price

£15-£55

Links & directions

WebsiteMap

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Creation Stories
    ★★★★★
    Film festivals
  • Smith & Burrows – Only Smith & Burrows Is Good Enough
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Detroit Stories – Alice Cooper
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Gatsby at Cadogan Hall: An interview with Jodie Steele and Ross William Wild
    Theatre
  • Judas and the Black Messiah
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Black Bear
    ★★★★★
    Film festivals
  • Jumbo
    ★★★★★
    Film festivals
  • Da Capo
    ★★★★★
    Film festivals
  • My Wonderful Wanda
    ★★★★★
    Film festivals
  • Foster Boy
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Da Capo
    ★★★★★
    Film festivals
  • My Favourite War
    ★★★★★
    Film festivals
  • Typical at Soho Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Detroit Stories – Alice Cooper
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Minari
    ★★★★★
    Film festivals
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Louis Berry at the Borderline | Live review
Warriors | Movie review