This is a disappointing production of a not-very-good play. A single idea dragged out to inordinate length yielded little more than tedium.
Part of the problem may be seeing it at the end of a relatively long tour, and the players have simply lost their edge.
But I am not sure that Andrew McNee had much edge to begin with. He has the unhappy tendency to simply "mug" his way through the parts he plays. This has been particularly evident in many Arts Club productions. Particularly embarrassing were his performances in
Boeing-Boeing, The Odd Couple and One Man, Two Guvnors. In the role of the author held captive by the crazed fan his histrionics reach new heights.
One function of the Arts Club's touring productions should be to attract audiences that it would not otherwise reach with material they would not otherwise see. Misery is a play best left to community theatres as the "thriller" entry in their season's program. These audiences deserve better from the Arts Club.
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