★★★★

Icons of the stage and screen Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart have joined forces once again with a revival of Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land at the Theatre Royal Brighton.

Having played the parts on Broadway, it was exciting to see them here. Many attendees were lured in by the big names, but that didn’t stop an appreciation and eventual standing ovation for this absurd play.

The premise of the plot is, in simple terms, two educated British strangers drinking and talking, with occasional interruption from Hirst’s possessive manservants Briggs (Owen Teale, who some will know from Game of Thrones) and Foster (Damien Molony).

On its initial run in 1975, the play was met with “admiration, respect, and bewilderment” according to theatre critic Michael Billington, and, judging by tonight’s evidence, that remains true today. The audience laughed at the right moments, but one could sense the uncomfortable tension that penetrated the air once the innocent banter of drunken old men became hostile, following the addition of the other players.

Pinter can be hard to understand. There is no narrative arc to the story, bar self-styled poet Spooner (McKellen) attempting to force his way into the employment of the wealthy man of letters, Hirst (Stewart). However, the witty, bizarre banter and constant one-upmanship of these aged men captured the attention of the viewer, and not just for its ridiculousness.

Set in Hirst’s vast drawing room, which is a powerful symbol of ‘No Man’s Land’ – a trope cemented by repeated questions of “Did you have a good war?” – the ‘Land’ also symbolises the vast emptiness of Hirst’s life, his dependence on alcohol and the disjointed relationship between him and Spooner, his more articulate and sprightly counterpart.

While little happens in the play, a lot is said, and the poetic language delivered by two of England’s greatest actors makes for a truly engaging and humorous watch.

Becky Snowden

No Man's Land is showing until Saturday, August 27.