This review summarizes the play "Donkeys' Years" by Michael Frayn, directed by Lisa Spirling at the Rose Theatre Kingston. It describes how six former university students reminisce about their college days over food and wine at a reunion, but their evening devolves into drunken antics as they behave like their younger selves. The set effectively shifts between the university grounds and individual rooms. While the physical humor is best in Act Two, Act One could have heightened the comedy more. Each cast member strongly portrays their contrasting characters, particularly Ian Hughes' animated performance as Snell that keeps the audience laughing. The circumstances inevitably lead to embarrassing and misunderstood events.

1. Donkeys’ Years- Rose Theatre Kingston
Kingston High Street, London
Writer- Michael Frayn
Director- Lisa Spirling
Reviewer- Alice McGuigan
[rating: 4.5]
“I wasn’t old enough to be young.”
At an organised reunion in their old university halls, six men politely reminisce
about their days as students, over “jolly good food” and “jolly good wine”. But it
is not long before they are crawling around with a stolen beer barrel, chucking
one another into the river and inviting the Lady Driver to dash between their
bedrooms. Their evening transgresses into veteran college boy banter and a
series of drunken antics. Meanwhile, Snell, having never lived in halls, realises all
the fun he missed out on and endeavours to take his fair share now. After
twenty-five years, little seems to have changed in Michael Frayn’s laugh-out-
loud, 1970s bedroom farce.
Polly Sullivan’s symmetrical set shifts from the external university grounds
(where even the bicycles are mirrored) to the internal individual rooms of these
former students. In an impressively swift scene change, two strips of shrubbery
are lifted to reveal parallel bookcases, curtains are closed and the quirky display
of slanting frames and grand chandeliers floating above the set, suddenly lights
up. This subtle transition from sunny day to brooding night and public to private,
cleverly builds up to the comically decadent scenes to come.
Director, Lisa Spirling, saves a lot of the physical humour for Act Two, where
Frayn’s comical devices explode into a series of bleeding eyes and syringed
buttocks. But the farce is not always pushed far enough in Act One and as a result
some of the comic potential is missed. Each character, defined largely by their
respected professions as Junior Minister, Doctor or Writer, is already being
undermined by their intoxicated states. The irony of Sainsbury’s (John
Hodgkinson) rude songs and mocking striptease, which he unwittingly performs
before Lady Driver, could therefore be heightened.
Each contrasting personality, whether they are the eternal optimist, cynical lech
or peace-keeper of the party, is strongly emphasised by each cast member and
results in a self-fulfilling “melting pot” of comical clashes. The biggest of all is
Jemma Redgrave’s panicked representation of Lady Driver who, as the only
female in the play, is trapped in their halls at wits-end. Her position is only made
funnier by the already established romantic history she has with some of them as
boys. However, it is Ian Hughes’s highly animated performance of a small, Welsh
and ginger-bearded Snell that constantly has the audience in stitches. Hughes
dramatically plays out Snell’s sudden change from an ignored outcast to
frightening maniac, as his amusing wittering transforms into hysterical karate
chopping.

2. Trousers hanging around ankles (or off entirely), the circumstances of this
university reunion inevitably lead to a series of embarrassing, humiliating and
misinterpreted events. One things for certain, they definitely don’t need free
brandy in schools.
Runs until 22nd February 2014.
Tags: Michael Frayn, Jemma Redgrave, Ian Hughes, John Hodgkinson, Polly
Sullivan, Lisa Spirling, Farce, Comedy.