So this evening saw me at one of my favourite theatres in London, The Harold Pinter Theatre (previously named The Comedy Theatre), to watch Jez Butterworth’s play Mojo. This production of Mojo had an all male cast of film stars and classical actors: Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey); Rupert Grint (Harry Potter); Tom Rhys Harries; Daniel Mays (long-standing actor); Colin Morgan (Merlin) and of course the wonderful Ben Whishaw (Peter and Alice, Skyfall).
Set in the 1950’s, with the exception of Harries who plays a talented singer, the rest of the actors form a somewhat misshapen gang running a club. Following the murder of the owner, his son – Baby (Whishaw) mind begins to slowly unhinge, revealing the truths of his father’s murder and unsettling the rest of the gang. I was particularly struck by Whishaw’s fantastic performance of this character, making his insanity very real and scary.
Grint succeeds in making his stage debut as Sweets, in a sort of double act with Potts (Mays) – the two characters playing off each others insecurities of the situation they find themselves with comic genius. Although, Grint still has some way to go at mastering the stage, I could see he had worked incredibly hard at his role and stage presence.
All in all, I would recommend this play to someone who enjoys watched fully immersed characters alongside very humorous play.
Charlotte Taylor 