Carey Mulligan and Bill Night shine in this current production of David Hare’s Skylight!
On a bitterly cold London evening, schoolteacher Kyra Hollis (Carey Mulligan) receives an unexpected visit from her former lover, Tom Sergeant (Bill Nighy), a successful and charismatic restaurateur whose wife has recently died. As the evening progresses, the two attempt to rekindle their once passionate relationship only to find themselves locked in a dangerous battle of opposing ideologies and mutual desires.
The story is quite strong, the first act has many subtle hidden political messages and it is clear the writer has strong views. The second act is less subtle and overall quite blunt. This means the story line sometimes drags during extended monologues and sometimes the story is over shone by the writer’s political agenda.
The play features one setting, the apartment and the set is designed superbly allowing the audience to see different aspects of it throughout the play.
Three actors are involved in this production and all three of them are superb. It is unclear what ages the two leading characters are supposed to be, though at times it did seem that Carey Mulligan was too young and Bill Nighy was too old. However this did not deter from the outstanding performances given by these outstanding actors. Matthew Beard was the youngest of the actors and his part was the smallest. His acting was strong even though his character sometimes seemed to lack a real motivation.
Overall this is another outstanding piece of theatre broadcast to cinemas worldwide. This piece is driven by powerhouse performances and the carry a inconsistent script!
4 Stars
Review by Benjamin Maio Mackay
Screening curtesy of Palace Nova Cinemas