That Face

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The Manhattan Theatre Club mounted the play on its Stage I in May 2010, with Cristin Milioti and Christopher Abbott portraying the siblings, and Laila Robins as the mother. [4] Landor Theatre [ edit ] Scene 5 - Mia is trying to rush Izzy out of the house as Hugh is on his way home. She stands up for Hugh when Henry speaks fouly of him.

Polly Stenham is so famous for writing her debut play aged 19, that it sometimes feels like it’s become subliminally accepted that her youth was the reason ‘That Face’ was so successful. Was its West End-storming success purely industry excitement at her youth? That Face (2007) at the Royal Court Theatre then (2008) Duke of York (2009) directed by Jeremy HerrinScene 2 - "I meant whatever as in whatever you name is. Not whatever as in I don't care, I do care" A mythology of family pain, spliced with partying and privilege, has arisen around Stenham since then – the double pull that appears as a recurring theme in almost all of her plays. In 2006, a day before That Face was accepted by the Royal Court, her father, Anthony, died suddenly – he had parented Polly and her sister, Daisy, alone after his divorce. Her mother, who was an alcoholic, died when Stenham was 26. But there is also the house in Highgate she has shared with 11 friends, the art gallery she owns in the heart of Camden Town and the expensive education (Wycombe Abbey, then Rugby) that she has talked about with a note of apology.

Polly Stenham has said that the starting point for That Face was "to write about a class of people I hadn't often seen represented in the theatre", which suggests that trust-funded, privately educated dropouts are an endangered minority on the English stage. Yet her 2007 debut does indicate that no one has focused more acutely on the hysterical, destructive neuroses of the upper-middle class since Noël Coward. The 90 minute drama builds to an explosive conclusion in which a cross-dressed Henry lets go in every sense of the word, Matt Smith delivering an epic monologue of madness, although he is not the one destined for sectioning. Scene 8 - Mia wants to protect Henry from Martha and stands by him when she is about to be institutionalised. Mia begins to turn against Hugh

Now, over a year on, the play hits the West End in a cool, stylish production with the same underlying design principle but an ethic that could hardly be more different. The story, though, is very much the same, reeking of autobiography with well-delineated characters clearly drawn directly from life. Her second play, Tusk Tusk premiered in the downstairs theatre at the Royal Court in March 2009 directed by Jeremy Herrin. [7]

For five years from the time that he was 13, Henry supported, covered for and humoured this woman. He is so obsessed with keeping her that he gave up his own education and prospects to do so. He also very nearly gives Mum-Martha his body in a final effort to retain her sanity. Nominated for three Offies Awards including Best Newcomer (Kasper Hilton-Hille and Ruby Stokes) and Best Production. The dream just goes on and on for Polly Stenham. Most people would regard having a play produced professionally when they are 20 as pretty sensational. Miss Stenham went on to win three major awards with That Face and before its West End transfer has even opened, she is adapting it into a feature film.Although 'That Face' is sharply focused and intense, I wonder if the basic concept is really all that new. It's hard not to recollect the mother-daughter relationship in the hit TV comedy 'Absolutely Fabulous' where a wayward mother finds her studious and 'normal' daughter almost impossible to comprehend. I'm not saying that the ideas are identical by any means, but there are similarities. However, in spite of its humour, 'That Face' presents a much more serious and penetrating examination of parent-child relationships. Scene 3 - Henry and Mia arrive at the bed side of Alice and Mia begins to feel guilt about what happened. She tries to explain herself to Henry and then loses control when Izzy walks into the room That Face starts out as a kind of transgender remake of Tom Brown's Schooldays updated to the 21st Century. Polly Stenham's strength is in creating convincing characters, more immoral than amoral, and then putting authentic dialogue into their mouths. It has to be said, that her stage alter ego, Mia, gets a relatively easy ride compared to everybody else on show and even at her worst tends to be seen through rose-tinted glasses. Polly Stenham brings us the world of a dysfunctional family where roles are never clear-cut or as one would expect them to be. Children act like parents, and parents ignore their responsibilities, acting more like their offspring should.