Manor

‘Manor’ is set amidst the violent underbelly of North London – a sinister world dominated by pool halls, sleaze joints and men who fiercely guard their territory. So fierce in fact, they won’t hesitate to use the knife should anyone dare to trespass. One of those men ready to use the knife all too quickly is the main protagonist, Stud (Stephen Pucci), a foul-mouthed and loose canon whose motto is “Live by the sword, die by the sword.”

In turn, Man (director James Kermack) looks upon his local pool hall as his territory and with the aid of Stud, he rules over the punters. Then there is young Joe (Barra Collins) who looks upon his flame Kel (Elspeth Rae) as some sort of possession – naturally, anyone making a pass at her will get to feel Joe’s wrath, too.
While each of the three men seems to have their own agenda, they actually take the same stance: “If you trespass, you will die!” or “If I take the wrong step, I must die.”

If you think that you’re in for a bloody treat (literally), then think again. ‘Manor’ might hold similarities to a Guy Ritchie East End gangster flick (especially the flashback dialogue) or occasionally even trespass into Steven Berkoff territory, but as a whole, it does not work. The dialogue is delivered virtually non-stop with the speed of a machine gun and writer Martin Murphy simply demands too much audience attention by having some of the vocabulary spoken in slang, littered with an endless stream of f*** words. There is no interval during the play’s almost one-and-a-half hours and it is quite frankly presumptuous to assume that the average theatregoer is able to follow the frequently unclear dialogue for such a length of time.

While we’re at it, there is also the matter of space. Theatre space, that is. The rapid speed of the play’s events (and actors body language) turn at times almost static due to the restriction of the stage layout – thanks to audience members sitting on each side of the stage as well as at the front.

However, credit must be given to the actors who try to make the best of what’s available. Most notably, Stephen Pucci’s psychopathic Stud is an accomplished study in terror, while Man provides some comical moments amidst the grim and harsh environment. Kel is little more than a thug’s pretty moll, thus emphasizing the fact that the world she moves in is definitely a man’s world!
The play is well directed given its material, and writer Murphy no doubt knows his stuff on the seedier and dangerous side of London’s criminal underworld – but it would work better as a television play.

‘Manor’ runs until April 3rd daily from 7.30-9pm. For ticket info, contact the Tristan Bates Theater, Covent Garden.