FIVE STARS
KEVIN Spacey bows out
as artistic director of the Old Vic in what can only be described as
a masterclass of a performance in Clarence Darrow.
This one man play is
done in the round with Spacey as Darrow regaling the audience on all
sides with a jukebox show of his greatest courtroom hits.
For those unfamiliar
with the name, Clarence Darrow was an American lawyer and leading
member of the American Civil Liberties Union.
He may not be that well
known over here but his achievements were many and remarkable -
including helping to establish the eight-hour working day in America.
He was perhaps best
known for defending teenage killers Leopold and Loeb in their trial
for murdering 14-year-old Robert "Bobby" Franks in 1924 and
the Scopes "Monkey" Trial in 1925.
David W Rintels’s
compelling play was written in 1974 and is a first-person monologue
about Darrow's career but also showcases Darrow's wit and his
reputation as a courtroom giant and civil rights hero.
Spacey plays him as a
somewhat hunched, at times world weary chap but who even when things
look bleak, won't let himself be beat.
He just gets up, dusts
himself down and carries on, all the time addressing the audience.
At some points Spacey
even came into the audience - sitting with us, shaking us by the
hand, gesturing to us, and taking us all in.
Sometimes it felt as
though we were a jury in one of his famous courtroom battles. But
most of the time though I felt he was talking just to me. It was a
real tour de force.
It was utterly
exhilarating - dramatic, funny, emotional, intense and flawless, and
left me hoping that this is not the last time we will see Spacey on
stage in South London.
Clarence Darrow is on
at the Old Vic, The Cut, Waterloo until April 11. Visit
www.oldvictheatre.com or call the box office on 0844 871 7628.
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