Curse of the Starving Class

Despite a theme that is fresher than this morning’s newspaper, there is something rather alienating about Sam Shepard’s “Curse of the Starving Class” currently at the Lyceum Theatre. Every character at some point delivers a monologue about the human condition, and there is much heavy-handed and rather self conscious imagery – a door broken down that lets in the outside world, a kitchen table upon which one sleeps and miraculously heals, a young girl on the verge of puberty, an empty fridge, and an innocent lamb infested by maggots. Yet this play could not be more relevant to our present society.
“Banks are loaning money right, left and centre,” Ella – Carla Mendonca – assures her son as she threatens to sell the house. “People are building. Everyone wants a piece of land. It can never depreciate like a car or a washing machine.” America is booming – on credit. Debts are run up and forgotten about; there is no real money – credit is king. To underline this bankruptcy, every character at some point stares into an empty refrigerator, which emphasises the moral, spiritual and cultural hunger felt by the Tate family, living on the edges of American prosperity but brought down by the father Weston’s feckless alcoholism and inept use of money. If drink is the curse of the working class, then the hunger of a soulless society is starvation indeed. The family house is surrounded by desert. Women bleed and their efforts (literally) pissed upon by men. And amongst it all the lamb infested by maggots is brought into the kitchen for warmth and recovery but is eventually betrayed and destroyed. The actor lamb does not get a name check, but he is terrific. He bleats in all the right places, stands up on his hind legs and stares knowingly at the action, and is the one contented character as he tucks into his bucket of food.` Christopher Fairbank as the alcoholic Weston is pretty good too, but his amazing change of character after a night on the kitchen table is too little too late. He it is who has the story of an eagle swooping down to gather up cut off testicles from sheep, and Ella his wife has the last word as she extends this story to the eagle latching on to a cat which claws at the bird and causes them both to fall. The victim can become predator; we all can destroy one another. Wesley the son – Christopher Brandon – is the only one to attempt some sort of purification. He has a ritual hot shower then cold shower, walks naked out to sacrifice the lamb, dresses in his father’s old clothes, and then covers his face in food as he tries to have his fill. Alice Haig as Emma the daughter seems almost realistic in her approach – “I’m going into crime. It’s the only thing that pays these days.” And who are we to argue with that?
Lyceum Theatre until 11th April

Performance Times
Evenings:
Tues – Sat at 7.45pm
Matinees:
25, 28 Mar and 1, 4, 11 Apr at 2.30pm
Pre-show talk
Tues 24 Mar at 6pm
Tickets: £3 (U18s free but ticket required)
Post-show discussion with members of the cast
Tues 31 Mar
Free – no ticket required
Audio-described performance
Thu 2 Apr at 7.45pm and Sat 4 Apr at 2.30pm
Touch Tour for the visually impaired
Sat 4 Apr at 12.30pm