Review: Mary Page Marlowe (Old Vic)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After a decade at the helm of the Old Vic Theatre, Matthew Warchus has begun his final season as their Artistic Director, and it looks like he’s going big. Reconfiguring the entire space for the entirety of the season, it begins with the UK premiere of Mary Page Marlowe, boasting the London stage debut of legendary actress and Academy Award-winner Susan Sarandon. That’s understandably a lot of pressure, so would this tale of one woman’s life manage to meet these high expectations, or would it make me want to drive off a cliff?

Mary Page Marlowe centres on one woman’s life from childhood to old age, presented out of sequence.  As we find out what makes Mary Page who she is, discovering some of her more challenging moments, the pieces of the puzzle all come together, ending up with a clear portrait whose life has no shortage of highs, lows and complications.

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tracy Letts, Mary Page Marlowe is an interesting concept. Its sole focus on one woman and her life is as simple a premise as it gets, but then, as we all know, humans are rarely simple, and taking a deep dive into one woman leads to a surprising exploration. Letts fills his writing with depth, never glossing over Marlowe’s darker moments, and making it clear this is not the portrait of a heroic character. Marlowe has her good qualities, but she also has her demons, in a very real and raw example of a single human, flaws and all.

Letts thrusts the audience into the action with a middle-aged Marlowe breaking the news of her divorce to her children. We then go back to her teen years, skip ahead to her later years, and even travel back to when she was just a baby. It may not always make sense initially, but the payoff is there but it just requires some patience. Marlowe comments about finally being free, but we don’t see what that means and what caused her to not be free until later on. This allows us to piece it all together like a puzzle, creating a mosaic of one complicated but fairly recognisable and ordinary woman that reveals a beautiful symmetry in its final scene.

Five women take on the role of Mary Page Marlowe throughout the course of the singular-act play (as well as a doll to represent her as a baby), each bringing something different to the role, but all recognisable as the same character. In some respects, it feels obvious to compare it to another play that wowed audiences earlier this year, The Years, which also focused on one woman’s life with five actresses playing her at various stages. Though that play presented the action chronologically and Mary Page Marlowe doesn’t is what makes them both different, with less focus on what it means to be a woman in this play and more focus on what it means to be human.

The space at the Old Vic has been reconfigured to completely transform the auditorium into a 360-degree In the round experience. Gone are the barriers between cast and audience, leaving a fully exposed and intimate performance that allows for stronger connections. Though I’d seen this theatre in various configurations through my visits over the years, walking into Mary Page Marlowe felt like walking into a completely new space. Still distinctly the Old Vic with its unmatched and consistent quality, but something fresh and exciting that speaks for what makes the Old Vic such a special space, and one of my personal favourites to visit in London.

With Matthew Warchus himself directing this production, his vision can be fully executed, allowing for the intimacy and connection to shine through. Mary Page Marlowe features 11 separate scenes, and Warchus utilises the differences in performers at his disposal to bring the complexities and ultimate familiarity of this story to life. On a fairly small stage in the middle of the space, Rob Howell’s design is simple yet effective, with Hugh Vanstone’s lighting coming into its own as each scene ends before another begins.

The most exciting aspect of Mary Page Marlowe is its cast, led by Susan Sarandon as one of the five women portraying the title character. Playing her at the ages of 59, 63 and 66, Sarandon is exceptional in the role, taking on a real magnetic quality that draws you to her. An expert in her field, it is clear to see why she has been so well regarded as an actress for decades now, and it felt like a real privilege to watch her God-given talents unfold on stage as she did. Of course, legendary actresses don’t always translate well to the stage, as a recent example testified (mentioning no names), but Sarandon doesn’t suffer this fate, instead delivering a masterclass in the art of subtlety with an abundance of charisma and charm in a truly stunning performance.

Andrea Riseborough is another standout, taking on the character at the ages of 40, 44 and 50. Where Sarandon’s Marlowe has reached a calmer, more mature stage in her later years, Riseborough’s time in the role sees the character at her most erratic, attempting to overcome some problems and face some immense difficulties. There is one key scene where her life spirals in front of her, with the detail in her coming to terms with this beautifully played out by Riseborough in a wonderful yet uncomfortable performance.

Rosy McEwen is Marlowe at the ages of 27 and 36, with a youthful energy and relative innocence that slowly leaves a couple of crumbs for what she will face as her life progresses, with McEwen bringing a fantastic energy to her brief but memorable scenes as Marlowe. Two former stars of Matilda complete the five actresses playing Mary Page Marlowe, with Alisha Weir playing her at age 12, and Eleanor Worthington-Cox at 19. Though both only get a solitary appearance in the play, they more than make their presence felt in pivotal scenes that shape Marlowe as a person, both faultless in their approach to the character.

Other standouts among the incredible cast are Eden Epstein as Mary Page’s mother, Roberta. Her second appearance, with Weir, is among the most uncomfortable of the play, but is undeniably one of the most meticulously acted. Epstein’s commitment to the character is astonishing, in a small but unforgettable turn. Melanie La Barrie lights up the stage as she always does, once more playing a character called Nurse (though sadly this Nurse doesn’t burst into any Katy Perry songs), with Lauren Ward brilliantly understated as the Shrink. Hugh Quarshie is a highlight as Marlowe’s third husband, Andy. The scene between him and Sarandon is electric to watch, providing the most comedic moment of the play, with a gorgeous dynamic and natural chemistry between the pair. I could have quite honestly watched an entire play with just these two, such is the talent of not only them but the writing overall.

Mary Page Marlowe is an incredible piece of theatre, overall. A fantastic exploration into one woman - its simplicity is a big part of its success, with its ability to resist the urge to fantasise or make this character unrelatable, admirable to see. Instead, we have one woman, laid out bare in front of us, with five different performers bringing differing qualities to her, while all being recognisably the same person. The only mild criticism I have, which prevents this from getting the fifth star, is that perhaps it lacked a bit of the emotion I was hoping for, though other people may well have had that emotional connection. Despite this, Mary Page Marlowe is an overwhelming success - a testament to a life well lived, and a show well executed. If this is the level we can expect from Warchus’ final season as Artistic Director, the sky’s the limit for what he does next.

Mary Page Marlowe plays at the Old Vic until 1st November. Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/play/mary-page-marlowe-tickets 

Photos by Manuel Harlan