My Night with Reg

Tony Kushner’s sweeping, epic drama Angels in America and Kevin Elyot’s comedy My Night with Reg were both written in the early 1990s, but while they both explore the devastation caused by the AIDS epidemic in the gay community, Kushner’s play does not shy away from depicting the disease and its symptoms, while Elyot’s play never once mentions it directly.

Instead it takes the form of an excruciating comedy of gay manners, a tragedy of Greek proportions tempered with comedic punchlines to ease the pain.

On the surface, Matt Ryan’s revival seems as if it contains all the right ingredients to make the play sing again, nearly 30 years after it first appeared at the Royal Court.

Paul Keating is a bundle of nervous energy as Guy, the sadly single man privy to everybody’s emotional baggage. Keating seems to visibly crack under the pressure, a feeling that is helped rather than hindered by an oddly detached performance from Edward M Corrie as John, the object of Guy’s unrequited affection. Gerard McCarthy as the gregarious Daniel helps lighten the mood, but ultimately it’s difficult to envisage these men sharing a past.

A sense of shared history grounds Elyot’s play and it never quite rings true here, despite the thoughtful, considered performances. Comedian Stephen K Amos’ Benny makes a particularly strong impression, although his relationship with Alan Turkington’s execrably dull Bernie seems even more untenable here. As the young outsider, James Bradwell is a wonderfully naive Eric, facing an uncertain future as it becomes clear that he too has spent a fateful night with Reg.

Designer Lee Newby’s recreation of Guy’s London flat mirrors the tone of the play. Instead of solid walls, a framework of shelves gives the impression of space and transparency. But every shelf is weighed down with books, paintings and bric-a-brac. It’s fussy, oppressive even, but this only serves to intensify and expose Guy’s loneliness.

It’s a play that requires a delicate balance and Ryan struggles at times to strike the right tone. The comedy, while never once overstated, sometimes sits uncomfortably in the production. It’s the play’s quieter moments that work best, the intimate scenes where characters open their hearts to one another play out beautifully, but they are the clear, bright patches in an otherwise uneven production.