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A review by jonh
Plays 1: Shopping and Fucking / Faust is Dead / Handbag / Some Explicit Polaroids by Mark Ravenhill
4.0
Largely invigorating, Ravenhill's plays hit a couple of duds now and again.
I love the work of Mark Ravenhill. Loved it ever since I first read him in college. His work, to me, seems to epitomize the In-Yer-Face "movement": provocation, sexual violence, all in favor of a bigger message on culture and society. And when Ravenhill is on, he's REALLY on.
But, in rereading his work, I found moments that read a little dry. I like his overarching themes of technology and consumerism-induced isoltaion, rebukes of Thatcherism, a sense of commodity in personal relationships and so on. But, every now and again, moments of dialogue felt like retreads of those themes: obvious reiterations of ideas already stated. And I recognize, of course, that part of this reaction comes from this being a reread. When fresh, these plays are, like I said, incredibly invigorating.
But that's the nature of provocation, isn't it? At first it shocks. But enough experience with it and the shock starts to feel normal. Which is a recurring theme in Ravenhill's work, granted. Part of the provocation in plays like Shopping and Fucking is seeing how jaded these characters are, how drug use and violent sex becomes mundane and blase, in part because of their attitudes and in part because of the society they live in. But I also believe shock can hold up if it has something substantial underneath it. Equus for example, will always compel me, because the writing, the themes, the message underneath, the pageantry all contribute to something greater than a boy stabbing out horses' eyes with a hoof pick.
Ravenhill has that sense of memorable provocation sometimes, and sometimes he doesn't. My ranking of these plays from best to worst:
1. Handbag
2. Shopping and Fucking
3. Some Explicit Polaroids
4. Faust is Dead
But all of them are interesting in their own way, and in their contribution to understanding Ravenhill as an artist. Check them out!
I love the work of Mark Ravenhill. Loved it ever since I first read him in college. His work, to me, seems to epitomize the In-Yer-Face "movement": provocation, sexual violence, all in favor of a bigger message on culture and society. And when Ravenhill is on, he's REALLY on.
But, in rereading his work, I found moments that read a little dry. I like his overarching themes of technology and consumerism-induced isoltaion, rebukes of Thatcherism, a sense of commodity in personal relationships and so on. But, every now and again, moments of dialogue felt like retreads of those themes: obvious reiterations of ideas already stated. And I recognize, of course, that part of this reaction comes from this being a reread. When fresh, these plays are, like I said, incredibly invigorating.
But that's the nature of provocation, isn't it? At first it shocks. But enough experience with it and the shock starts to feel normal. Which is a recurring theme in Ravenhill's work, granted. Part of the provocation in plays like Shopping and Fucking is seeing how jaded these characters are, how drug use and violent sex becomes mundane and blase, in part because of their attitudes and in part because of the society they live in. But I also believe shock can hold up if it has something substantial underneath it. Equus for example, will always compel me, because the writing, the themes, the message underneath, the pageantry all contribute to something greater than a boy stabbing out horses' eyes with a hoof pick.
Ravenhill has that sense of memorable provocation sometimes, and sometimes he doesn't. My ranking of these plays from best to worst:
1. Handbag
2. Shopping and Fucking
3. Some Explicit Polaroids
4. Faust is Dead
But all of them are interesting in their own way, and in their contribution to understanding Ravenhill as an artist. Check them out!