The Birthday Party

To celebrate the sixtieth birthday of Pinter's first full-length play, The Birthday Party (1958), Ian Rickson directed a production of the play that included a stellar cast: Toby Jones (Stanley), Stephen Mangan (Goldberg), Pearl Mackie (Lulu), Tom Vaughan-Taylor (McCain), Zoe Wannamaker (Meg), and Peter Wright (Petey). I attended early in the run and the house was packed. Music from the late fifties played prior to the show, and the focus on this era persisted throughout the production. Rickson directed that play as it might have been directed during the late 1950s, no updates in dress, language, or set. We were in a seaside town in the late fifties. Some reviews criticized this decision, suggesting that some updates were in order, but the focus on the play itself was wise. It is a tricky piece, and the play itself deserves attention. Focusing on the spectacle, set design, or updates to language...