In preparation for attending the UK premiere of ‘Teddy Ferrera’ by Christopher Shinn at the Donmar Warehouse I read reviews of the play’s 2013 world premiere at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.Not having seen the first production, I can’t say if the play has developed. However the version at the Donmar is frustratingly disappointing. It is one of those productions where you walk out wondering how did the smart and talented people running the Donmar come to choose this script?
The play is loosely based on the real life events of Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers University student who in 2010 committed suicide after discovering that his room mate had been spying on him, having sex with another man, via a webcam.
In the play the student’s name is Teddy Ferrara, a seemingly awkward young man whose shyness disappears as he engages in online sex acts. However he commits suicide at the end Act One without the playwright providing any real insight into Teddy. The rest of the play revolves around numerous young gay men, their response to the suicide, and their panoply of immature romantic entanglements none of which ring true or engage the audience.
Surprisingly the direction by Dominic Cooke, former artistic director of the Royal Court, is sloppy and inconsistent in tone and the final moment was so odd and jarring that it took over a minute for the audience to realise that this was in fact the end of the play. The actors’ performances were all solid but they struggled to illuminate these sketchily written and disagreeable characters.
The couple next to me left at the interval as did numerous other audience members at the preview I attended.
Shinn was clearly trying to write a very modern and relevant play exploring the online world, bullying, political correctness, sexual politics and modern university campus life. Unfortunately the play is a bit of a mess illuminated only by the occasional tantalizing moment of what might have been.
In my favourite Shakespeare play, the subtle, complex and troubling MEASURE FOR MEASURE, Vienna is in a state of lawlessness and immorality. In Joe Hill-Gibbins production for the Young Vic this is represented by a huge pile of blow up sex dolls.