Harry Clarke has its UK debut at The Ambassadors Theatre, playing until 11th May. Playwright David Cale’s monologue follows Harry Clarke, the alter ego of Philip Brugglestein, who is a shy man from the Midwest. After being raised by an abusive, alcoholic father and being ridiculed for his sexuality he was able to escape his traumatic childhood by adopting an English accent and developing an alter ego – Philip himself speaking in a RP dialect and Harry, a cocky cockney. After his father dies, he reinvents himself as Philip; an Englishman living in New York. This is where our journey with Philip and Harry begins…

The main focal point that holds Harry Clarke together is Cale’s portrayal of identity; shown through various intimate moments when Philip/Harry talk to each other. Through this choice, Cale cleverly plays on the classic trope of Jekyll and Hyde, giving an honourable nod to the timeless story. Through the devise of using one actor, the audience are transported into the mind of Philip Bruggelstein and are able to see the world through his eyes, allowing us to empathise with the character throughout his experiences. Simultaneously, we are forced to question our own morals when the character of Harry carries out his seedy deeds, taking advantage of those around him and bringing turmoil to Philip’s life.

Leigh Silverman’s direction captured the conflict within Philip’s life perfectly, something which is hard to achieve with only one performer because as Silverman says himself; in a play you are building towards a conflict between people onstage, usually more than one person. Alongside the other creatives of the show, Silverman succeeded in fulfilling his criteria of being a director by providing the audience with something that did indeed feel like a drama and an all-round phenomenal piece of theatre.

Speaking of phenomenal, Billy Crudup’s portrayal as the protagonist and antagonist of the play was truly a masterclass in acting. The switches between each character were extremely clear albeit as subtle as a change in posture or mannerism, meaning that the audience were able to keep up with Crudup’s fast-paced delivery of the story, with no confusion about who was talking to us. Each character had a very specific dialect, from the sultry tones of Sabine’s voice to the harsh vocalisation of Philip’s father. Harry Clarke’s cockney voice was questionable at times but can be overlooked as a flaw with Philip’s own understanding of an East London accent rather than Crudup’s inability to perfect it. It was overwhelmingly obvious how much hard work and passion Crudup has put into his craft, and his wealth of experience within the industry no doubt enabled him to carry out this tour de force performance which captured the audience from start to end.

Alexander Dodge minimalist staging keeps a central focal point with nothing but a table, chair and one glass of water. This lets the audience see each character stripped bare; leaving nothing that could distract us from the distinction in each character change that Crudup effortlessly accomplishes. He manages to use this to his advantage and incorporates the staging into moments of high intensity to allow his body a much needed break.

Dodge’s vision works beautifully with Alan C. Edwards soft lighting, which resembles that of a horizon. The subtle changes helps the audience follow the change in locations and times which could be lost in the dialogue heavy play. Edwards idea to use that of a horizon is symbolic to the idea of a new dawn, and to Philip/Harry a new characters introduction. There were a few big lighting changes, when we were taken to a nightclub and the inner monologue moments Harry and Philip shared with each other. These moments of solitude were my favourites as it honed in his desperation to be anyone but himself.

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