my master builder

Photo: officiallondontheatre.com

I don't know why I need to see so much of the man that has caused so much anguish in the women around him. Lila Raicek's script has so much potential and touches on so many important and timely issues, but somehow they are overshadowed by a continued display of the predatory man's feelings and I'm not entirely sure what Michael Grandage's angle was.

The premise of the story is set up incredibly well, with a classic dinner party scenario combined with the anticipation of arriving guests and intricate love triangles and interpersonal issues. It is sometimes hard to keep your audience intrigued during an act consisting of one long scene, but bursts of energy and the timing of new information means you're focussed and intrigued the entire time. There's a very clear focus on the generational divide on social issues between the younger and older characters, which creates excellent juxtoposition for the rest of the play, most clearly with the exploration of feminism in this play and how it has evolved through the decades and how it clashes between younger and older women. I rarely see theatre that gives such voice to all the different viewpoints and truly delves into the complexity of all of feminism, while simultaneously focussing on how how you react to infidelity and betrayal by another woman as a feminist. How you navigate this world and your relationships with others while doing your best to support women and uplift them to the status that men get without question is such a brilliant topic for a play, especially with all the nuances and complexity of the main plotline, and I believe that Raicek's writing balances everything really well.

What irritated me was how we were shown the relationship between Henry and Mathilde, his Hilda. When they first meet there is a moment of dramatic lighting that attempts to emulate how the two feel about seeing each other. When left alone they acted like childhood lovers, with Ewan McGregor adopting a tone of voice that I can't quite put my finger on, but is one that every male actor in a similar role puts on when they speak to their much younger lover, which almost emphasises the inappropriate nature of the relationship. There seems to be the pretence of an innocence of some kind that makes the situation okay, and it doesn't. The language between the two when they are alone is poetic and dramatic and seems at odds with the rest of the conversations which are incredibly naturalistic and conversational, which comes across as an attempt at presenting their relationship as a romantic union that was always meant to be. I can't see a reason why in 2025 we would need to justify an inappropriate relationship between a professor and their student. It felt gratuitous to have so much of the play display their intimate relationship together. I have no sympathy and cannot relate to an older man in a position of power that takes advantage of a younger woman. As with a lot of work these days, I am not able to tell what the director's intention is with this dynamic.

However, every performance in this production is with merit, and I applaud the handling of some of the more sensitive topics. Kate Fleetwood's deeply hurt and damaged Elena is ruthless and savage, and her 'moment of weakness' is anything but. There is so much power in her truth, which is incredible to watch, especially when compared what the character has experienced. Her character expertly portrays the difficult balance between the personal and the political, with her life experience clear disillusioning her in the way that the younger women have not been. Elizabeth Debicki is almost ethereal, as if she is still the memory of Hilda that Henry has, and is captivating to watch and the dramatic tools employed by the director are executed seemlessly by this cast.

Overall, I am glad I saw this production. Each individual character was full and captivating and drove the storyline in their own way. The interaction of different social issues caused some real reflection in me after leaving the theatre, which is wonderful to experience. My only gripe is the kind portrayal of such an inappropriate relationship, something that in my opinion was not needed for the storyline, or the issues that the play explores, and I feel as though the director could have made better choices to make the message of their show more clear.