The Birthday Party

Abstract

To celebrate the sixtieth birthday of Pinter's first full-length play, The Birthday Party (1958), Ian Rickson directed a production of the play that included a stellar cast: Toby Jones (Stanley), Stephen Mangan (Goldberg), Pearl Mackie (Lulu), Tom Vaughan-Taylor (McCain), Zoe Wannamaker (Meg), and Peter Wright (Petey). I attended early in the run and the house was packed. Music from the late fifties played prior to the show, and the focus on this era persisted throughout the production. Rickson directed that play as it might have been directed during the late 1950s, no updates in dress, language, or set. We were in a seaside town in the late fifties. Some reviews criticized this decision, suggesting that some updates were in order, but the focus on the play itself was wise. It is a tricky piece, and the play itself deserves attention. Focusing on the spectacle, set design, or updates to language would have been distracting and inappropriate. Rickson's decisions and directions presented the play at its best.Rickson's casting was also laudable. He cast television star Pearl Mackie, who was just finishing up her role as Bill Potts in the Dr. Who series. Casting such a star, of course, probably drew younger audiences, but it also created a sense of diversity in a subtle way. No fanfare. Lulu is just a nonwhite neighbor, and the choice deepens the role and the play. In a Stage Interview with Tom Wicker on December 19, 2017, Mackie admitted that she was drawn to the role by the play's “brilliant weirdness.” And as she studied her role, she aimed to make Lulu incredibly real in order to show how “potentially dangerous the male characters can be.” And she and Rickson succeeded.The production offered variations on the theme of male violence, oppression, and abuse. McCain, for example, tears a newspaper, and it creates a sense of danger and menace. Goldberg, of course, is the master, and Stephen Mangan very carefully and deliberately unveils the terrorist beneath a conventional business suit. There is no question, these men have power, and they are going to use that power. The play and Rickson's direction, however, also expose the underbelly of such power. These are bullies who are fueled by fear. And Mangan's portrayal of Goldberg illustrates the kind of energy it takes to uphold the façade of an enforcer.Stanley, their victim and prize, is also abusive. Prior to the men's arrival, Stanley ridicules Meg and manipulates her affection for him. Of course, he does not deserve the treatment he receives from Goldberg and McCain and, once again, by casting Toby Jones in the role of Stanley Rickson subtly changes the play, particularly for Pinter aficionados. Generally, Stanley is portrayed as a much younger man, perhaps a young man who has made a serious mistake, something that has brought the wrath of Goldberg and McCain into his life. Casting a younger man creates an unusual mother-lover relationship with Meg, who is generally much older than Stanley. Here, however, Stanley is Meg's contemporary, so her affection toward him is not as unusual, and the play did not highlight the sexual tension between Stanley and Meg as other productions have. Meg is concerned about Stanley but not necessarily sexually attracted to him. Zoe Wanamaker's portrayal of Meg highlights her innocence regarding the ways of the world, particularly the world of Goldberg and McCain, and this innocence makes her completely vulnerable to Stanley, Goldberg, and McCain.Casting Stanley as a middle-aged man creates more despair. He is at the end of his life. He has been making poor choices for a long time. His is not youthful indiscretion; it is lifelong habit. Whatever he has done to bring Goldberg and McCain to this rooming house has been a long time coming. And so, in the end, Stanley is defeated, perhaps much more completely than in other productions with younger Stanleys. Goldberg and McCain, their techniques, and the oppressive, male world they represent have won.Petey, who is removed from much of the action until the end, attempts to save Stanley, but it is too late. He is no match for Goldberg in particular, but he offers Stanley a bit of advice, “don't let them tell you what to do,” the line that Pinter said he lived his entire life. Even in the most dire situations, we do have some ability to resist. But whether Stanley can do so is left ambiguous.Like Godot, much has been written about Goldberg and McCain. Who are they? Where do they come from? What did Stanley do to bring them to his door? None of these questions are answered during this production, and this is precisely as it should be and precisely why the play still succeeds and this production excelled.