Review: STUMPED, Cambridge Arts Theatre - Tour

Photo credit: Pamela Raith

Stumped focuses upon the friendship and relationship between playwrights Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter and their love of cricket.

Now you may ask Besties, how do the two go together? Well, before Beckett became famous for plays such as Waiting for Godot, he used to be a dab hand at cricket. Pinter is known to have called cricket - “the best thing in the world” - and writer Shomit Dutta has taken the two and woven it together, with both of the playwrights’ theatre styles to create Stumped.

With the attempt to gel the two theatrical styles, it feels like the play lacks a bit of identity and perhaps, in that sense, lends itself more to Beckett’s theatre of the absurd style.

We meet Beckett and Pinter taking part in a local cricket match. They muse about life’s works and what they have in their sights in the future. After the cricket match, they are waiting for their lift, ‘Dogot’; a play on words which frequently gets a chuckle from the audience. When things start to take a sinister turn, the storyline tends to get slightly convoluted and you leave feeling slightly unsure what has happened.

The set, designed by David Woodhead, is a basic bright blue background with a gold ornate frame which does predominately give the feel of an art gallery, with an interchangeable small model of a cricket house, tree and train station which marks the setting. The small models are intricate and lovely to see.

This play does allow the two actors to act uninhibited, with them being the sole focus point. The length of time taken for scene changes are rather elongated for such a basic set however, with the audience left waiting for over a minute in darkness which feels largely unnecessary.

The real pull and heart of the play lies in the actors playing Pinter and Beckett. Stephen Tompkinson takes on the role of Beckett and Andrew Lancel as Pinter. Both men are well known for distinct appearances and vocal mannerisms.

Tompkinson as Beckett has the Irish accent to a tee and for an accent that can quite often be a bit overworked, it is understated but there. He walks with a swagger befitting the playwright and is visually dominating of the scene. Lancel’s Pinter has a layer of deference whereby he wants to impress Beckett, especially when things go a little bit awry. The two work well together and the chemistry definitely enhance the audience’s experience.

Both performers are excellent in their portrayals and whilst other aspects of the play could be improved, the play is worth seeing for their performances alone.

The audience seemed to enjoy the piece throughout, with chuckles coming predominately from cricketing references so there seemed to be a clear interest in the room for the subject matter. Those whom are interested in Beckett and Pinter’s work will also find aspects amusing and informative.

*** Three stars

Reviewed by: Emma Rooney

Stumped plays at Cambridge Arts Theatre until 10 June before moving on to London’s Hampstead Theatre, with further information here.