REVIEW: THE UGLY ONE by Marius Von Mayenburg at The Hope Theatre 12 - 23 September 2023

‘a script so sharp, it has cheek bones’ ★★★★

‘THE UGLY ONE’, by the German playwright and dramaturg, Marius Von Mayenburg, was first performed upstairs at the Royal Court in 2007. Given a fresh lease of life by a talented new generation of Bristol Old Vic graduates, this is a great opportunity for audiences to experience this bitingly witty and socially pertinent satire.

Lette is an inventor of a plug connector but when he’s denied the chance to present his own product at a conference and passed over for his assistant, he discovers the ugly truth. He has an “unacceptable” face. His wife, who will only ever look into his left eye, confirms he’s a “beautiful human being” but “unspeakably ugly.”

This shocking revelation leads Lette to seek a surgical solution, a radical new treatment that transforms him into a breath-taking Adonis. Women fall at his feet. He becomes rich, famous and successful. In Hans Christian Anderson’s The Ugly Duckling, the transformation to a beautiful swan is the ultimate resolution. Here, Lette’s new face is the start of his problems.

With a script so sharp it has cheek bones, this entertaining, non-naturalistic black box production (70 minutes, no interval) is confidently directed by Natalie Simone. With camp and entertaining break out scenes of song, movement, dance and human beatboxing, the operating theatre becomes a disco and Lette becomes a prancing fashion icon. Meanwhile an aging nymphomaniac and her petulant gay son are magnetically drawn to the once awkward, invisible inventor.

Lette’s disarming good looks afford him new levels of charisma. Once back on the podium, he charms audiences with the dullest electronic specifications, but his beguiling appearance also disrupts his relationships, confuses his identity and unmoors his life. While his good looks become a passport to new places, his compass is irreparably broken. 

Research bears out that those deemed more socially attractive are more likely to succeed at job interviews, find relationships, experience better health and live longer. But we learn that chasing beauty as the panacea to life’s problems is a futile act. In an age where beauty standardisation seems more virulent than ever, The Ugly One incisively dissects society's obsession with image and appearance and we are left with echoes of Ovid’s Narcissus in a memorable play that’s much more than skin deep.

12 - 23 SEP

7:45PM

THE UGLY ONE by Marius Von Mayenburg, directed by Natalie Simone

£10/£13/£16

BOX OFFICE https://www.thehopetheatre.com/productions/the-ugly-one/

CAST

Lette CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS

Fanny KATE CARTWRIGHT

Scheffler SUMĀH EBELÉ

Karlmann KERR LOUDEN

Reviewed by Nilgin Yusuf