REVIEWS REVIEWS
“Vincent in Brixton” written by Nicholas Wright covers the short time period that a young Vincent van Gogh spent in London as an art dealer, long before becoming an artist in his
own right. Vincent is played with vigour by the luminous newcomer Ruben
Brinkman, and that is not just his hair. Brinkman’s own Dutch accent adds
authenticity to the character, and combined with his forthrightness it
serves to emphasise that Vincent really is a fish out of water, completely at
odds with his surroundings. The entire play takes place in the kitchen of
the Brixton house, but for the most part this is used as a clever tool, not
only to highlight mood and time. Periods of incessant movement as characters
rush around preparing food and cups of tea, particularly early on, are
contrasted with stillness for the darker, more intimate scenes.
The action centres on Vincent’s relationship with the inhabitants of his
Brixton lodgings; the dour widow Mrs. Loyer, played with dexterity by Clare
Higgins, her daughter Eugenie, played by Emma Darwall-Smith and another
male lodger Sam, played by Charlie Watts. From the beginning, it is obvious that the
seeds of Vincent’s obsession with women had already been sown before this
period. Initially drawn to the house and the room available to let by the
sight of Eugenie, he immediately declares his love for her to Mrs. Loyer,
who in a highly atypical response for the period, permits him to stay
anyway. But it is his relationship to the elder Mrs Loyer that is at the
crux of the story. When it becomes apparent that Vincent has no hope of
wooing Eugenie, who is taken by another, Mrs. Loyer becomes his Mrs.
Robinson. A very liberal woman for the age, particularly in her attitude to
sex, she nonetheless runs a school and worries about appearances. She
harbours dark thoughts and her tongue is often bitter, but it is her dark
side that holds the attraction for the unhinged Vincent. The arrival of
Vincent’s loud and tactless sister Anna, played by Amy Darcy, in the second half is the catalyst that brings down all of the house’s secrets like a pack of
cards.
Vincent in Brixton is cleverly directed by Richard Eyre, and will haunt you for several days
afterwards. If this crazy, blundering man could go on to produce such
masterpieces from such inauspicious beginnings, surely we can do something
great too? © MW
“Vincent in Brixton” is in Richmond on the 24th of November until the 29th of November, 2003.
