Posted on September 18, 2009 - by Editor

Kurt and Sid. Theatre Production review.

Danny Dyer (Sid Vicious) and Shaun Evans (Kurt Cobain) during the Dress Rehearsal of Roy Smiles' Kurt & Sid at Trafalgar Studios, London, England on 9th September 2009. © Dan Wooller/wooller.com

Trafalgar Theatre
London, UK
Tuesday 15th September 2009

This intriguing piece of theatre written by Roy Smiles, an avid and obsessed Kurt Cobain and Nirvana fan, is beautifully engaging and warm with constant well placed humour breaking the tense and under your skin themes throughout the hour and 45 minute performance.

The Play is crafted by Director Tim Stark and entirely set in Cobain’s debris strewn attic in which he so infamously took his own life 15 years ago. In essence it’s a reimagining if you will, using Starks own impassioned knowledge of Cobain mixed with a “What if” playing on the ever growing conspiracy theories of Kurt’s demise.

Danny Dyer brilliantly portrays Sid Vicious as a “Ghost of Christmas past”; an extension of Kurt’s imagination who’s goal is to prevent Kurt from taking his own life but as we all know will fail to do so. Vicious was a idol of Kurt’s and the introductory dialogue between the characters is realistic and funny as they to explore the reasons for Sid’s presence, whether he is the genuine article and in doing so delve into truths only the most ardent fan or Sid himself would know revealing information which is shockingly true? (Sid’s rape in Rykers prison anyone?)

Shaun Evans in direct opposition to Dyers portrayal of Sid’s snotty, sneering and swaggering conscience of Kurt, represents a vulnerable and cagey soul plagued by popularity and literally at the end of his tether with life and its burdens. Both performances are brilliant and although not examples of physical theatre the dialogue and themes (of which there are plenty) are believable and hits you at the core.

The themes will be of interest to fans and music lover alike, their individual tortured love for their much publicized partners, popular music, and the shock value of music, music journalists, fame and destruction are all touched on in varying degree.

I don’t want to provide any spoilers, but the concept of placing two of music’s most popularized icons in such a confined space at that historic time and place, despite my reservations, results in an ingenious and mesmerizing play with Tarantino-esque tension and dialogue.