Capsule: Attempts on Her Life

A sort of review of the Katie Mitchell production of Martin Crimp's play, that was recently in rep at the National Theatre. You can see more conventional comments on the show microsite.

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- Circular narrative

- End scene: skimping

- Too much having cake and eating it

- Significance of red/AIDS not clear

- Late Review spoof is a giveaway; X-files should be the XX-files

- Early jump? Too much!

- Most feminist

- But a crucial lack of mother

- Men are idiots. Like the policemen and boyfriend. Let’s stay with them for a long period and look at their innefectiveness; how they are mocked by a simple mirroring of their actions

- Fourth wall gets higher

- Mediation does not adding anything

- Pirandello/Absurdist + Lynch + Kundera + McLuhan = Crisp + Mitchell

- An elevator pitches to start? But they never go on that long

- Art film: Gordon/ Julien

- A hard-working company: backs to audience. Cold

- Misdirection not in craft, but in fooling

- This production could not have been made without the art of Sarah Lucas and Tracy Emin