REVIEW – MIDNIGHT TATTOOS by Philip Landon at The Drayton Arms Theatre 9 – 13 July 2024

‘Landon has cleverly created a romantic comedy wrapped around a literary enigma’ ★★★★

Two strangers meet on the plane from JFK airport to Paris and end up living in the same studio apartment, rented by one of them. What else would you have expected normally other than romantic strolls along the streets of Paris exploring the famous landmarks of one of the most charming cities of the world. Philip Landon's debut play Midnight Tattoos is anything but normal or predictable.  The writer has cleverly created a romantic comedy wrapped around a literary enigma, and has managed, under the direction of Olivia Munk, to keep the audience entertained and intrigued throughout the 2 hour run time.

Angelina Chudi’s rebel Suzie is a runaway 26-year-old young tattoo artist who escapes to Paris after a family tragedy. She meets Andrew Laithwaite’s bookworm Michael, a 37-year-old graduate student whose ambition is to finally complete his book about Samuel Beckett. They venture out into the city looking for the author Beckett’s favourite spots and resting place, in the hope of solving the riddle of Waiting for Godot. But they are not alone. A mysterious voice has been guiding them all along, as if the ghost of Godot himself, who never appears in Beckett’s play, wants to be revealed. Who is Godot? Can Suzie and Michael solve the enigma?

There is also a third character played by Jeremy Hancock who performs the role of the Prisoner. As he recounts the true history of Sam Beckett’s affinity with prison inmates around the world, he commands a captivating presence on stage both by virtue of his bearded very-inmate-like physical appearance and a contrasting not-so-inmate-like kind smile. The Prisoner did not get to see the drama performance of the play Waiting for Godot while in prison. Could his fate have been different had he attended the performance? He spent his years waiting, waiting for letters that never arrived. Who is the Prisoner? The mystery for the audience to solve is to find out the identity of the Prisoner. He speaks directly to the audience, he interacts with the two characters but they do not see him. Towards the end, the reveal of the family connection between the Prisoner and Suzie, comes as quite a surprise.



Midnight Tattoos’ commitment to its set and design also deserves to be commended. How the team has managed to produce a French double bed with two side tables, a chaise longue, a study table with three chairs, a cupboard and a low chair on the stage is baffling. The stairways up the Drayton Arms pub Theatre is a narrow one.

MIDNIGHT TATTOOS presented by Audrey Thayer at Lost Girl Productions

CAST

Suzie Angelina Chudi

Michael Andrew Laithwaite

Prisoner Jeremy Hancock

CREATIVE TEAM

Playwright Philip Landon

Director Olivia Munk

Presented by Lost Girl Productions

Associate Director Jessica Bickel-Barlow

Lighting Designer Will Alder

Sound Designer Jamie Lu