Blasted, Lyric Hammersmith

Naturalistic, and slow, revival of Sarah Kane’s legendary 1995 debut

by Aleks SierzThursday, 28 October 2010

Hold onto me: Danny Webb and Lydia Wilson in 'Blasted'Simon Kane

If any play of the past two decades deserves the label legendary it must be Sarah Kane’s debut, which was condemned as “this disgusting feast of filth” on its arrival in 1995, but is now firmly ensconced in the canon of contemporary playwriting. Although the shock of its original production, which in retrospect simply heralded the appearance of a distinctive new voice, has led audiences to expect a similarly frightful experience every time it is revived, subsequent productions have emphasised the play’s poetry and its relevance.

A soldier has arrived, a civil war is in progress, and onstage atrocities begin to pile up as surely as corpses in any military conflict

Buy

Old Bridge, Bush Theatre review - powerful, poetic and profound

Explore topics

Share this article

...

Permalink Submitted by Chris Devine (not verified) on Mon, 08/11/2010 - 12:47

Travelled to London to see Blasted for the first time on Thursday, hoping to be impressed. Unfortunately there was very little to be impressed about. What became abundantly clear as the evening progressed, was the unescapable conclusion that the late author Sarah Kane, was not a very talented playwright. The play fails desperately due mainly to the authors lack of maturity and very evident lack of life experience , reflected in the one demensional characters and unconvincing dialogue. No amount of foul deeds can cover an absence of ability.

Immature? There is nothing

Permalink Submitted by Anonymous :) (not verified) on Sun, 08/04/2012 - 22:55

Immature? There is nothing immature about showing the effects of war, this play is very current and relative and a real inside look to what, unfortunately, actually happens when humans are fighting for survival for unethical reasons, nuances of Karma and and how two unsuspecting characters are thrown into a war zone where no authority or government is going to bother saving you. It's shocking yes, but that's life and I salute Kane for having the courage to write about such conspiracy and turmoil, and passionate about making such topics and issues normally 'conversations behind closed doors' open to public speculation and realisation. :)

Add comment

The future of Arts Journalism

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

more Theatre

The Importance of Being Earnest, National Theatre review - no shortage of acid-tipped delight Oscar Wilde speaks just as strongly to the 21st century as he did to his own

Twelfth Night, Orange Tree Theatre review - perfectly pitched sad and merry musical mayhem Shakespeare's comedy of identity confusion benefits from a 1940s setting

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, The Other Palace - all Greek to me Myths and monsters make for a curiously bland and bloodless musical

Expendable, Royal Court review - intensely felt family drama New play about a paedophile ring foregrounds the voices of British-Pakistani women

The Purists, Kiln Theatre review - warm, witty, thoughtful and un-woke Dan McCabe's play about ageing hiphop stars makes a winning European debut

The Dead, ANU, Landmark Productions, MoLI Dublin review - vital life, love and death in perfect equilibrium Joyce’s great short story fully realised for ‘invited guests’ by a perfect ensemble

All's Well That Ends Well, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse review - Shakespeare at his least likeable New production lands on shaky ground in 2024

Wicked review - overly busy if beautifully sung cliffhanger Musical theatre behemoth becomes an outsized film - and this is just part one

King James, Hampstead Theatre review - UK premiere drains a three-pointer LeBron James comes and goes, and comes back again to the Cavs

A Christmas Carol, Old Vic review - tidings of discomfort and noise This venue’s annual festive classic is joyous, but its writing is frankly patronising