Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Almeida live-streams HYMN, Lolita Chakrabarti’s loving ode to masculinity and male bonding

• By drediman
• February 19, 2021
• No Comments

Last night, I tuned into the live-stream of Lolita Chakrabarti’s new play Hymn, courtesy of London’s Islington-based Almeida Theatre. As the work’s title cleverly and elegantly suggests, Ms. Chakrabarti’s two-hander is an ode to masculinity and male friendship, a particularly striking and unexpected subject matter for a female playwright to tackle, especially at this juncture. The play tells the story of Benny and Gil, two half-brothers from opposite sides of the track who discover each other upon the death of their mutual biological father. Over the course of the play’s intermission-less 90 minutes, they form an increasingly strong bond that allows them, respectively, to unleash (at least potentially) the best in themselves.

Given that the play’s premise may seem a bit pedestrian, Ms. Chakrabarti’s writing is nonetheless confident and natural, imbuing her duo with a laid-back authenticity that gracefully draws us in. The play comes at an interesting – and arguably much needed – moment when discussions around toxic masculinity are skewing many people’s perception of manhood. By giving audiences candid glimpses of the intimacy, vulnerability, and goofy joy that’s possible in male relationships, Ms. Chakrabarti gives us reason, by extension, to reassess and celebrate the male figures in our own lives. Although Benny and Gil are Black men, the playwright wisely resists turning Hymn into a play overtly about race, allowing the universality of the work’s message and the subtle nuances of its characters to shine through without the baggage of an overriding political agenda.

Veteran British actors Adrian Lester (Ms. Chakrabarti’s husband in real life) and Danny Sapani are exceptionally good as the flawed but fundamentally decent brothers. Each registers their respective character’s highs and lows with astonishing transparency and loving attention to detail, almost as if the roles were written with these fine actors in mind (which they were!). Hymn has been helmed by Blanche McIntyre, whose focused, literally dance-like direction (originally intended for the stage) admirably translates to live-steam consumption. Although the play has been skillfully and conscientiously staged with minimal props and socially distanced blocking, the astute camera work makes sure that our attention on the play’s central, ultimately uplifting relationship is unthwarted.

RECOMMENDED

HYMN
Theater, Play / Live-stream
Almeida Theatre
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through February 21