Tender Napalm

Tender Napalm
Promotional poster of original production. Vinette Robinson left as 'Woman' and Jack Gordon right as 'Man'.
Written by	Philip Ridley
Characters	Man Woman
Date premiered	19 April 2011
Place premiered	Southwark Playhouse, London
Original language	English

Tender Napalm is a 2011 play by Philip Ridley.^[1] Ridley's eighth stageplay for adults, it premiered at The Southwark Playhouse, London on 19 April 2011.^[2]

The original production was directed by David Mercatali, having previously directed the professional revival of Ridley's 2004 play Moonfleece in 2010. Since then Mercatali has collaborated with Ridley a number of times in directing the premiere productions for the majority of Ridley's new stageplays.^[3]

The production starred Vinette Robinson as Woman and Jack Gordon as Man, who had previously played a minor role in the 2009 horror film Heartless which was written and directed by Ridley.^[4]

Story

Set in ambiguous location, the play shows the interplay between a Man and Woman.

Through their dialogue they speak with poetic intensity and describe being involved in highly imaginative and improbable situations, such as leading armies of monkeys, fighting a sea serpent and being abducted by aliens.

They both speak romantically to each other - describing with passion how they find each other beautiful - as well as violently - such as performing sexual acts on each other with weaponry.

Throughout the majority of the play the audience is unaware as to what is fantasy and what is reality, with the narrative frequently shifting within the interplay of the Man and Woman.

Music

Featured in the play is the song Fade and Float, the lyrics of which were written by Ridley. The song was developed into a full studio recording by Ridley's band Dreamskin Cradle, which consists of Nick Bicât as composer, Mary Leay as singer, and Ridley as lyricist.^[5] The record was released as a single on all major download sites in march 2011^[6]

Critical Reception

Reviews

The play’s original production was met with mostly positive reviews, with praise going to the performances of Jack Gordon and Vinette Robinson, the direction of David Mercatali, as well as Ridley’s writing for its use of imagination, poetic language and ambition.

Lyn Gardner for The Guardian awarded the play 4 stars, praising the direction and performances: “It is simply and sensationally staged by David Mercatali, and performed as if its two actors feel every word simultaneously like a caress along the spine and a fist in the face.” She also wrote in admiration of the script, stating that “Ridley's play is completely and dizzyingly of itself. The writing seethes and burns. It goes not just into the bedroom, but into the mind, the secret places that we hide from everyone except lovers. Seldom has sexual love been explored on stage with such ferocious honesty, brutality and melting tenderness.”^[7] Susannah Clapp for The Observer praised the production for its acting, writing that “Jack Gordon and Vinette Robinson should make their names in this. They perform both dance and dialogue magnificently. They swirl around each other as if the stage were a jacuzzi.” She also praised Ridley’s use of dialogue for imaginatively “paint[ing] pictures of passion… It is wild, obvious, flailing, babyish, luscious”^[8] Neil Dowden of Exeunt Magazine praised the production for the performances – “there is real chemistry in the acting” – along with the writing: “Tender Napalm shows Ridley at his most poetic, concocting a fractured, shimmering sequence of video-game-style images to illuminate the primal feelings between a man and a woman struggling together in love.”^[9] Aleks Sierz for The Arts Desk wrote a glowing review, declaring that “[Ridley’s] first new play in three years, which opened last night, breaks fresh ground and represents an imaginative leap of the gleaming dark of his wild, wild imagination… As the pounding music sets the scene, and both actors start to flex their muscles, you immediately feel the beads of sweat gathering on your brow. A quiet voice deep inside tells you that this is going to be a good one. And it is!... this is a fabulous piece of imaginative writing. Long live Ridley!”^[10]

However not all reviews were completely positive. Though still awarding the play 4 stars, Michael Coveney of WhatsOnStage.com found fault in the last 15 minutes for being “perhaps… over-freighted with Shoreditch and Essex detail, and the missing father figure on both sides doesn’t play with much dramatic significance.” He however still praised the production effusively for being “a rough, raucous, verbally extravagant and sometimes shocking theatrical firecracker, [that] makes you realise how pallid most theatre writing – and acting – can be when everyone’s on their best behaviour.”^[11] Philip Fisher of British Theatre Guide wrote in admiration for the boldness of Ridley’s writing, saying that “Ridley might be the last bastion of In-Yer-Face Theatre. Where others have mellowed and generate plays like anyone else of their now middle-aged generation, he still gleefully pushes the boundaries of form and taste. Whether that is a good thing could be open to debate.” He however did question as to what the meaning was behind the play: “Quite what message it wishes to convey is not entirely clear, possibly that love conquers all, at least for a period, since death is an inevitability” but noted that “In any event, the two actors give their all and sensible audience members will enjoy the acting and wallow in the exotic poetry and imagery, rather than wondering why they are there.”^[12] Time Out London awarded the play 3 stars. While writing that it was “ferociously well acted” and that the play was “evocative, hallucinatory stuff” the publication criticised the script, stating that “I’m not sure Ridley has got the balance of tenderness and napalm quite right. The underlying warmth takes the danger out of the pair’s flights of fancy, but their words and actions remain too opaque to let you in emotionally.” However the magazine still wrote that despite its flaws the production was “an unforgettable 80 minutes.”^[13] Dominic Cavendish of The Daily Telegraph however awarded the play only two stars. While lauding Ridley’s ambition – “I won’t deny that this is a tricksy, inventive, risk-taking piece - Ridley is a clever man, and he likes to play with theatrical fire” – he criticised the writing for being overblown: “For all its conceptual neatness, though, there’s a slapdash, jejune and over-ripe texture to the script… a rampaging, hormonal quality may be part of the point… yet all the hyperactive fabulation shreds our capacity to care.”^[14]

Either way the play was a success and was nominated for a variety of awards and featured on a number of 'best theatre of the year' lists, Including for Time Out London,^[15] The Observer^[16] and The Guardian^[17]

In July 2011 acclaimed actor Ben Daniels wrote an article for The Guardian describing Jack Gordon’s and Vinette Robinson’s acting as “the best performance I’ve ever seen” saying that “the actors only had each other, and the way they worked together was glorious. Not once did you wish there was a set. And because it was in traverse you could see other people watching it with you, watching you have this visceral response. It's very rare to actually see people having a similar response to you. It was a unique feeling, and afterwards I felt jittery, like the carpet had been pulled from under my feet. Performances like theirs make you want to be better.”^[18]

Awards

• London Fringe Best Play Award - Nominated^[19][20]
• Off West End Award for Best Female Performance for Vinette Robinson - Won^[21]
• Off West End Award for Best Producer for Will Young and Ben Monks of Supporting Wall - Shortlisted^[22]
• Off West End Award for Best Director for David Mercatali - Longlisted^[23]
• Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Newcomer for David Mercatali - Longlisted^[24]

Notable Productions

Country	Date	Location	People	Details
England	19 April 2011	Southwark Playhouse, London.	Produced by Supporting Wall. Directed by David Mercatali. Man - Jack Gordon Woman - Vinette Robinson	World Premiere. This production later toured the UK from 10 May 2012 with a different cast: Man - Tom Byam Shaw Woman - Lara Rossi
Australia	19 August 2011	The Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of Western Australia, Perth.	Produced by Perth Theatre Company. Directed by Melissa Cantwell. Man - Joshua Brennan Woman - Anna Houston	Australian Premiere.[25]
The United States	23 August 2012	Theater C, 59E59 Theaters, New York.	Produced by The Shop. Directed by Paul Takacs. Man - Blake Ellis Woman - Amelia Workman	United States Premiere.[26]
Ireland	27 November 2012	Space Upstairs, Project Arts Centre, Dublin.	Produced by Sugarglass Theatre. Directed by Marc Atkinson. Man - Aaron Heffernan Woman - Erica Murray	Irish Premiere.[27]
Australia	21 September 2012	The Roundhouse Theatre, Brisbane.	Produced by La Boite Theatre Company. Directed by David Berthold. Man - Kurt Phelan Woman - Ellen Bailey	Australian Revival.[28]
Canada	8 August 2013	Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace, Toronto.	Produced by Phantasmagoria Collective. Directed by Cynthia Ashperger. Man - Kyle Purcell Woman - Amelia Sargisson	Canadian Premiere. [29]
Malta	30 January 2014	St James Cavalier, Valletta.	Produced by Unifaun Theatre Productions. Directed by Tonni Attard. Man - Andre Agius Woman - Bettina Paris	Maltese Premiere.[30] The production later played from 10–25 August at C Nova, Studio 1 as part of the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival
The United States	18 March 2014	Signature Theatre, Arlington County, Virginia.	Produced by Signature Theatre. Directed by Matthew Gardiner. Man - Elan Zafir Woman - Laura C. Harris	Washington D.C. Premiere.[31][32]
Wales	29 May 2014	Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.	Produced by Company of Sirens. Directed by Chris Durnall. Man - Jannah Warlow Woman - Matthew Bulgo	Welsh Premiere.[33]

References

1. Tender Napalm's page on Bloomsbury Publishing
2. Blog post advertising play on Hamish Hodell Talent Management
3. Gardner, Mimi (4 March 2015). "A dynamic duo with Philip Ridley and David Mercatali". A Younger Theatre (London).
4. Dowden, Neil (25 April 2011). "Tender Napalm". Exeunt Magazine (London).
5. "Dreamskin Cradle Launched". NickBicât.com. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
6. Fade and Float listed on Amazon.co.uk
7. Gardner, Lyn (27 April 2011). "Tender Napalm - Review". The Guardian (London).
8. Clapp, Susannah (8 May 2011). "Tender Napalm; All's Well That Ends Well; Macbeth – review". The Obsever (London).
9. Dowden, Neil (25 April 2011). "Tender Napalm". Exeunt Magazine (London).
10. Sierz, Aleks (22 April 2011). "Tender Napalm, Southwark Playhouse: Philip Ridley’s new play about love is a stunning work of powerful fantasy". The Arts Desk (London).
11. Coveney, Michael (25 April 2011). "Tender Napalm". WhatsOnStage.com (London).
12. Fisher, Philip. "Tender Napalm". British Theatre Guide (London).
13. "Tender Napalm". Time Out London (London). 21 April 2011.
14. Cavendish, Dominic (12 May 2011). "Tender Napalm, Southwark Playhouse, review: For all its conceptual neatness, Philip Ridley's first play in three years doesn't come close to touching the heart". The Daily Telegraph (London).
15. "The best of 2011: theatre". Time Out London (London).
16. Clapp, Susannah (11 December 2011). "The best theatre of 2011: Susannah Clapp's choice". The Observer (London).
17. Gardner, Lyn (31 December 2011). "Best theatre of 2011: epic, intimate and very 21st century". The Guardian (London).
18. Daniels, Ben (10 July 2011). "Ben Daniels: the best performance I've ever seen". The Guardian (London).
19. Philip Ridley's Bloomsbury page
20. Blog post from Hamish Hodell Talent Management detailing nominations for the London Festival Fringe Awards
21. "2012 OFFIE WINNERS ANNOUNCED at a fabulous award ceremony at Theatre Royal Stratford East". OffWestEnd.com.
22. "OFFIE SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED after a day of contention, controversy and too much coffee". OffWestEnd.com.
23. Production information for 'Feathers in the Snow' at the Southwark Playhouse
24. "London Evening Standard Theatre Awards longlist revealed". The Evening Standard (London). 19 October 2011.
25. J. Pascoe, Courtney (24 August 2011). "Tender Napalm - Perth Theatre Company". AussieTheatre.com (Perth).
26. Newsdesk, BWW (16 July 2011). "Philip Ridley's Tender Napalm Begins 8/23 at 59E59 Theaters". Broadway World.com (New York).
27. Sugarglass Theatre Company’s ‘Tender Napalm’ page
28. Sherritt, Lauren (27 September 2012). "Tender Napalm - La Boite Theatre Company". Australian Stage (Brisbane).
29. 2013 production of Tender Napalm on the Toronto Theatre Database
30. "Tender Napalm - Unifaun Theatre Past Productions". Unifaun Theatre Productions.
31. Signature Theatre Company’s ‘Tender Napalm’ page
32. Pressley, Nelson (25 March 2014). "‘Tender Napalm’ at Signature Theatre can be hard to watch, but you can’t look away". The Washington Post (Washington D.C.).
33. Smith, Othniel. "Tender Napalm". British Theatre Guide (Cardiff).