Evening at the Talk House, theatre review: Provocateur’s sharp ideas meander into banality

The world premiere of a new play by Wallace Shawn should be something to celebrate. The writer-performer, probably best known for his roles in films such as Clueless and The Princess Bride, can be intriguingly provocative. But his latest offering is a limp one and makes for a frustrating 100 minutes.

Shawn plays Dick, a crumpled theatrical hanger-on who has recently been beaten up by a few of his friends. He’s sheltering in a faded old club, The Talk House, where he encounters several actors who appeared with him in a play a decade ago. Their careers have unfolded with varying degrees of success, and the reunion seems to be an opportunity for nostalgia.

At first the stage looks set for a murder mystery — there’s a distinct whiff of Agatha Christie. But then the mood alters. We learn that some of these actors have been reduced to enrolling in the government’s “programme of murdering”. One of them, Jane, has dual identities as a waitress and a contract killer, bumping off strangers in Nigeria and Indonesia.

Though the play’s genteel atmosphere never quite fades, it turns out that Shawn has some sharp things to say about ordinary people’s complicity in state-sponsored violence. This is topical, and director Ian Rickson marshals a committed cast, which includes Sinéad Matthews as Jane and Josh Hamilton as writer Robert, whose opening speech is a 10-minute monologue.

But Shawn’s serious ideas get lost in a haze of meandering banalities. The play lacks an engine — a sense of dramatic vitality — and watching it often feels like eavesdropping on a succession of morbid in-jokes.

Until March 30, National Theatre (Dorfman), (020 7452 3000, nationaltheatre.org.uk)

Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout