'The Homecoming' shows Pinter at his very best. This is a world in which family members endlessly battle it out for dominance and control. Every word and gesture is calculated to undermine and gain advantage over another character. Every pause is an opportunity to assess strategy and may herald a new attack. It's like watching a game of chess where power constantly shifts between players with each offensive/defensive move. Completely enthralling.
Vivien Merchant is utterly brilliant. I know of no other actor with her talent for portraying character and mood through body language and movement. A slight turn of her head away from her husband paints an instant picture of Ruth's emotionally barren marriage. Her controlled stillness in the face of threats by various male characters conveys Ruth's amused contempt for them. A subtle ankle movement portrays Ruth's knowing manipulation of her sexual magnetism in this all male environment. And yet - while depicting Ruth's power - Merchant's performance is underscored with a strong sense of disillusionment, isolation and emotional damage which captures all of the ambiguities in Ruth's character and gives this bleak play a soul. This is acting at the highest level.
Vivien Merchant is utterly brilliant. I know of no other actor with her talent for portraying character and mood through body language and movement. A slight turn of her head away from her husband paints an instant picture of Ruth's emotionally barren marriage. Her controlled stillness in the face of threats by various male characters conveys Ruth's amused contempt for them. A subtle ankle movement portrays Ruth's knowing manipulation of her sexual magnetism in this all male environment. And yet - while depicting Ruth's power - Merchant's performance is underscored with a strong sense of disillusionment, isolation and emotional damage which captures all of the ambiguities in Ruth's character and gives this bleak play a soul. This is acting at the highest level.