Hannah’s reunion play is mixed bag

3:59pm Thursday 23rd October 2008

DRAMAS about reunions often follow the same format - old friends pretending to be happy and successful, but when you pick beneath the surface they are plagued by feelings of disappointment and resentment about not becoming the high-achievers they expected to and Riflemind is no different.

When former the bandmates from a rock guitar group decide to re-form for a weekend’s jam session after 20 years, their ghosts from the past re-surface with ugly results.

The band, led by John (John Hannah of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Rebus fame), meet together in his secluded mansion, flying in by helicopter to remind us that they were once very famous, playing to crowds of 40,000 people.

But now they are just a mish-mash of washed up drug addicts and recovering alcoholics who are old enough to know better, but desperate for one more go at fame and glory. Or at least most of them are, except for frontman John who after years of shying away from drugs and rock n roll, is dragging his feet a little - much to the annoyance of his band mates who need the money more than him.

I was excited by the strong cast and the direction by Philip Seymour Hoffman, both of which do not disappoint. All of the characters delivered Andrew Upton’s gritty script well, and the overlapping dialogue and barrage of insults thrown at each other helped convince the audience of a familiarity that can only develop from years of friendship and rivalry.

But the reunion gets off to a sketchy start, as does the first act.Too much time is spent exploring the relationship between John and his odd yoga-loving wife, Lynn (Susan Prior) who is trying, but failing to keep them both clean.

Lynn provides a few welcome laughs when she falls unceremonious off the wagon and ends up peeing in the bottom draw of the fridge.

But this first injection of belly-laughter humour was up-staged when the less-than-charming cockney manager has sex with one of the rock stars girlfriend’s over the back of the sofa - just yards from the front row ticket holders.

In the second scene the pace picks up a little and the band’s checkered history begins to surface as we discover some of the feuds from the past caused by musical differences and disagreements over royalties. There are many enjoyable moments to be had from Riflemind. The cast are impeccable, helped by an even more impeccable script.

But the main problem I had with the characters is that I didn’t care about any of them.

There are several intense scenes when they reveal a dark side of themselves. But in the end it is difficult to maintain interest in the band as a whole and you start to wonder why they decided to reform. As Phil says: “It’s not about the money - or just about the money.”

Riflemind is at Trafalgar Studios 1 Theatre (formerly Whitehall Theatre) Whitehall, London, SW1 Tube: Charing Cross. Telephone 0870 060 6632 Trafalgar Studio 1 Theatre, SW1.