Last night, Elliot and I ventured to deepest darkest glitzy Hammersmith to have some supper and see new play Second Best at the Riverside Studios.
It’s a tale of fate and of what ifs.
It follows Martin Hill as he tries to navigate life and the impending prospect of fatherhood while reflecting on a childhood incident and how it changed the course of his life.
When Martin was 10 years old he was given the chance to audition for the title role in a new film, Harry Potter.
He went through round after round until he was down to the final two. The decision to cast another actor in the role reverberates through Martin’s life and has consequences as he grows and matures.
He waxes and wanes - will he always be second best?
Written by Barney Norris and based on the best selling novel by David Foenkinos - it was a very good show. Though billed as a comedy, the play encompasses more than that. It uses themes of loss and trauma and mental health while telling Martin’s tale.
One person performances are the greatest challenge an actor can face but Sex Education’s Asa Butterfield (here making his stage debut) was warm and likeable if occasionally disconnected from the material itself.
Interestingly, it was the set itself that did a lot of heavy-lifting in this 90-minute straight-through production. Strewn crisp packets, ash falling from above, and a hospital bed high up on the wall stage left all played their part.
Well worth seeing though.
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