Review: The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden/The Long Christmas Dinner at the King's Head Theatre

The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden/The Long Christmas Dinner 
King's Head Theatre
Reviewed on Friday 14th December 2012 (Press Night)

This is the first time Thornton Wilder’s two one-act plays, 'The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden' and 'The Long Christmas Dinner', have been performed together. Both plays are only 30 minutes long providing a short and sweet evening at the theatre. This is also the first time Thornton Wilder’s work has been performed in London for nearly a decade.

The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden is the first to be performed. "A family sets off on a Sunday drive in New Jersey in this portrait of Depression-era America. They motor on in the face of a ­recent tragedy in a testament to the strength and endurance of the human spirit."

The play has some great comical moments. I loved the stylising of the piece, especially having the 'stage manager' present throughout, occasionally reading in for extra characters and changing the set. Theatre is often bombarded with realism meaning I relished the opportunity to watch a play which requires the audience to use a little imagination!

The Long Christmas Dinner is an extremely clever play. "Three successive generations celebrate the holidays as 90 years pass by in the Bayard household. As America expands around them, so too does the family, as the old make way for their children to follow in their footsteps."

It was incredible to watch 90 years pass by in only half an hour. This epic play is so well written and simply unmissable. The 30 minutes went by in a flash as the fast paced story was fascinating and exceptionally gripping. The strong acting from the cast enables the audience to engage with each character quickly and therefore makes the play work. I do not want to give too much away so you really must go and see this play for yourself!

You can catch The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden / The Long Christmas Dinner at the King's Head Theatre until 5th Janruary 2012

Please visit www.kingsheadtheatre.com for more information and to book tickets.

Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
andrew@westendframe.com

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