Chit chat - Cutting the night short

Published Tuesday 24 June 2008 at 09:50 by Tabard

Playwright Anthony Neilson - no stranger to this column, some of you will recall - seems to be upsetting people at the Royal Court.

Well, perhaps it would be fairer to say that his latest play, Relocated, is upsetting people.

According to a missive sent out by the theatre’s press department, some audience members aren’t managing to last the distance while watching Neilson’s rather gruesome work. In fact, the venue has had to draft in extra staff to help these poor, afflicted people with weak stomachs.

Apparently, Relocated is “leaving audiences distinctly shaken”.

“The subject matter and claustrophobic staging has proved too much for some audience members,” the missive continues, “and an extra usher has been employed to deal with people having to leave mid-performance.”

Which, frankly, Tabard believes is a real shame, because there’s a particularly lovely amputation to look forward to in the final scene. They don’t know what they’re missing.