Machinal - Thursday 23rd May 2024

I went to see Machinal, the highly acclaimed play (somewhat) based on true events.

At the end, most of the audience stood to applaud: I wasn't one of them. The play was fine, most of the actors were fine, it just didn't resonate with me.

Plays these days are such downers, and this is one of them; whilst there are some good actors on display, I personally felt like the lead wasn't one of them. She overacted her way to a standing ovation, and fair play to her for doing so. My experience is that those who suffer most, tend to be the most silent, whereas this show took the opposite approach.

Also, it would be interesting to see if an audience would be half as sympathetic to the protagonist if the roles were reversed between her and her husband? I can guarantee there would be no standing ovation in that instance!

Still, if you don't mind being bummed out after a trip to the theatre, give it a gander. Me? I think I’ll stick to Musicals!