The Drawer Boy
Michael Healey
The Drawer Boy
Miles, an energetic and idealistic young actor, knocks on the door of an isolated farmhouse in rural Canada, seeking material for a new play he’s working on. He discovers Morgan, a gruff farmer working tooth and nail to survive, and Angus, his lifelong friend, who has long since lost track of the world. But when the farmers let the city-boy into their home, Miles’ search for a story gradually unearths a devastating truth that threatens to destroy the tranquil lives of his hosts forever.
3.7 out of 5 based on 3 reviews
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Omniscore:
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| Location |
London |
| Venue |
Finborough Theatre |
| Director |
Eleanor Rhode |
| Cast |
Neil McCaul, Simon Lee Phillips John Bett |
| From |
June 2012 |
| Until |
July 2012 |
| Box Office |
0844 847 1652 |
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Miles, an energetic and idealistic young actor, knocks on the door of an isolated farmhouse in rural Canada, seeking material for a new play he’s working on. He discovers Morgan, a gruff farmer working tooth and nail to survive, and Angus, his lifelong friend, who has long since lost track of the world. But when the farmers let the city-boy into their home, Miles’ search for a story gradually unearths a devastating truth that threatens to destroy the tranquil lives of his hosts forever.
Reviews
The Stage
Sally Stott
“John Bett gives a heart-stoppingly well-studied performance as Angus, The Drawer Boy, a child in a man’s body, haunted by memories he can’t quite recall. Neil McCaul is compellingly troubled as his life-long friend, Morgan, skilfully peeling back the layers of Healey’s beautifully structured script which playfully contrasts the truth with what we’d like to believe. ”
25/06/2012
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Time Out
Stewart Pringle
“Healey considers whether art has a fundamental perspicacity that transcends its inevitable untruths and pretensions. Shot through with references to state subsidy and the hard farmers' logic of 'produce or die', 'The Drawer Boy' nevertheless makes a powerful case for the necessity of art. It's one that's perfectly rendered here in Eleanor Rhode's lean and vital production.”
25/06/2012
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The Guardian
Michael Billington
“Healey's narrative is rather too visibly indebted to Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men; Morgan's role as protector and exploiter of his friend is exactly that between George and Lennie in the novel. But once you get past that, Healey has a good deal to say about rural hardship and both the ethical dubiety and therapeutic potential of turning other people's lived experience into art. And, even if the play has its sentimental side, that is balanced by the comedy of Miles attempting to identify with the pain of a soon-to-be-slaughtered cow.”
25/06/2012
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