Review: "Mr Happiness" & "The Water Engine" - Screening Room - Old Vic Tunnels

This double bill of David Mamet radio plays, translated here to the stage by the combination of a remarkable, atmospheric setting, an ensemble cast of extraordinary strength, versatility and talent, the clear directorial vision of director Kate McGregor and brought to life by the designs of Amy-Jane Cook (Water Engine) and Carla Goodman (Mr Happiness) has to be the current must see piece of theatre in London.

The only problem I have in reviewing this is deciding how to single out specific actors without making it seem like the ensemble is not the key here. Because it really is. They are the lifeblood, the sounds, the souls of what we cannot hope to have brought to life on this, or any, stage.

Mamet wrote these plays with 40 voices and 60 characters so there are few places and fewer companies that could tackle a cast like that without some imagination. And imagination is what you see on display here. From the way the sound effects are made live on stage to the way the images in the the head of Mr Happiness are brought to life it all just "works" like a well oiled machine.

Notwithstanding the strong ensemble there are a few stand out performances. David Burt, who manages to hold the audience in the palm of his hand both as the eponymous Mr Happiness, and also as Mr Oberman in The Water Engine has to be lauded for his performance in Mr Happiness. I have not seen an actor handle a monologue in such an enthralling manner in a long time. A delight to watch.

Other notable performances include Jamie Treacher who plays Charles Lang with an innocence and vulnerability and a palpable sense of hope that you can't help but empathise with when Life, and people, conspire against him. And for me the other most notable performance goes to Lee Drage for his Bernie who I found utterly engaging to watch on stage.

I realise that I've not "reviewed" this piece so much and I've more implored you to go and see it, well I don't want to tell you what happens in either of the two plays and I don't want to spoil the visual delight either. So trust me, if you like brave, bold, utterly entertaining theatre then go and see it. And yes, the theatre is tricky to find but hunt it down because what Theatre6 and MokitaGrit have produced here is an inventive, vital piece of theatre that deserves to be seen. So go and see it.