Review: Hymn

Hey readers!

It's time for my review of Hymn. 

"Benny is a loner anchored by his wife and children. Gil longs to fulfil his potential. They form a deep bond but as cracks appear in their fragile lives they start to realise that true courage comes in different forms."

Written by Lolita Chakrabarti, Hymn is an intriguing tale that covers a wide variety of important themes. There is great depth to the writing, with many different layers to it. The topics explored provide plenty of food for thought, and will likely leave the audience with many things to contemplate. In particular, It was particularly interesting the way in which Hymn explores masculinity and mental health. The play delves into how men are often expected to repress their emotions, making them hesitant to display vulnerability in the face of hardship. The writing seeks to challenge these stereotypes however, with one of the two main characters embarking on a journey to embrace his emotional side and seek counselling for his personal struggles. The exploration of life and death, as well as how they interconnect, was also very interesting. The two characters of Hymn are brought together by death, but are subsequently torn apart by it shortly thereafter. This serves as an effective metaphor, and goes to show that life really does come full circle. The characters of Gil and Benny are very well written, and it is enjoyable seeing how they develop such a strong bond throughout the course of the play. At first they seem worlds apart from one another, and yet they grow to really admire each other as the narrative goes on. This tale of an unlikely friendship is very endearing, and proved extremely heartwarming. 

Hymn is a two-hander, starring Adrian Lester as Gil and Danny Sapani as Benny. The two actors are absolutely phenomenal, and their performances are worth the ticket price alone. Lester and Sapani have such good chemistry with one another, and their brotherly bond felt extremely authentic. Gil and Benny grow closer and closer as the play goes on, and the two actors did well to show how the relationship developed over time. They really immersed themselves in the roles, and their characterisations were very believable. Beyond that, it was particularly impressive to see just how versatile they were in their acting. Both Lester and Sapani were excellent at portraying the more serious natures of their characters, but also presented the comedic elements without fault too. It is worth noting that the play features music, requiring the two actors to sing at numerous points throughout. They were just as skilled at singing as they were acting, and this too was highly impressive. 

Now for my final verdict on Hymn. I give Hymn...

Hymn is an excellent piece of writing, confronting a number of important subject matters. The main attraction to this play however is the two leading performances, both of which are beyond remarkable.

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 Basic Theatre Reviewer