It's time for my review of The Starry Messenger.The play centres around an astronomy teacher whose life is spiralling away from him: the planetarium he works at is under threat, his marriage is on the rocks, and he’s mourning the recent loss of his father. Though things begin to change when he meets a trainee nurse called Angela.
Unfortunately, The Starry Messenger was not my cup of tea. Whilst there are certain elements of the story which I did enjoy, the play as a whole does feel somewhat dull and never quite takes off. The writing is not particularly engaging which, speaking on a personal note, made it difficult to connect with these characters. Whilst I understand that playwright Kenneth Lonergan is attempting to convey that the show's leading character, Mark, lives an unexciting life, this does not make for particularly interesting viewing. The Starry Messenger currently stands at 2 hours and 50 minutes, which seemed far longer than it actually needed to be. The scenes relating to Mark's home life, in particular, felt rather tedious and began to somewhat drag. The play could really benefit from some trimming, and I actually think it might have been a far more engaging play had it only been 90 minutes, with no interval. Having said all of this, I did enjoy all of the scenes featuring the character of Angela, excellently portrayed by Rosalind Eleazar. Angela makes for an intriguing character and the scenes that take place in the hospital surrounding her job as a nurse were the most engaging scenes of the play. I also enjoyed the scenes whereby eager student Ian presents his teacher, Mark, with a number of harsh criticisms in regards to his teaching style. These scenes were very amusing, and were responsible for the funniest moments of the play. If the play had featured more humour such as this, then The Starry Messenger may not have been as dull. Therefore, whilst I did not like the overall concept of the play, there were a number of scenes which I did, in fact, enjoy.
In the leading role of Mark stars Broadway veteran Matthew Broderick, who is making his West End debut with The Starry Messenger. I had previously seen Broderick star in 'It's Only a Play' in New York City, where he gave a superb performance. Broderick has a very unique persona that I do not believe I have seen in any other performer; he always seems to ooze calmness and tranquility. This given quality makes him extremely interesting to watch live onstage. Whilst I wasn't entirely convinced that this was the perfect role for him, Broderick still delivers a solid performance. Despite not being one of the show's advertised stars, I personally felt that it was Rosalind Eleazar, as Angela, that stole the show. Eleazar was the life and soul of this play, and whenever she re-entered the stage, the pace really picked up. She has a brilliant stage presence, and has created an excellent characterisation for the role. A special mention must also be given to Sid Sagar, in the role of eager student Ian. Sagar successfully delivered comedic relief, which was much appreciated. The humour came easily to him, and the scenes in which he featured were very enjoyable.
Now for my final verdict on The Starry Messenger. I give The Starry Messenger...
Whilst there are certain redeeming factors, The Starry Messenger simply was not for me. In my personal viewpoint, the run-time was far too long and the writing was not as engaging as I would have liked it to be.
Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.
Thanks for reading!
-The Reviewer
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